WorldWideScience

Sample records for radio loud agn

  1. Remnant radio-loud AGN in the Herschel-ATLAS field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahatma, V. H.; Hardcastle, M. J.; Williams, W. L.; Brienza, M.; Brüggen, M.; Croston, J. H.; Gurkan, G.; Harwood, J. J.; Kunert-Bajraszewska, M.; Morganti, R.; Röttgering, H. J. A.; Shimwell, T. W.; Tasse, C.

    2018-04-01

    Only a small fraction of observed active galactic nuclei (AGN) display large-scale radio emission associated with jets, yet these radio-loud AGN have become increasingly important in models of galaxy evolution. In determining the dynamics and energetics of the radio sources over cosmic time, a key question concerns what happens when their jets switch off. The resulting `remnant' radio-loud AGN have been surprisingly evasive in past radio surveys, and therefore statistical information on the population of radio-loud AGN in their dying phase is limited. In this paper, with the recent developments of Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) and the Very Large Array, we are able to provide a systematically selected sample of remnant radio-loud AGN in the Herschel-ATLAS field. Using a simple core-detection method, we constrain the upper limit on the fraction of remnants in our radio-loud AGN sample to 9 per cent, implying that the extended lobe emission fades rapidly once the core/jets turn off. We also find that our remnant sample has a wide range of spectral indices (-1.5≤slant α ^{1400}_{150}≤slant -0.5), confirming that the lobes of some remnants may possess flat spectra at low frequencies just as active sources do. We suggest that, even with the unprecedented sensitivity of LOFAR, our sample may still only contain the youngest of the remnant population.

  2. Pair-Matching of Radio-Loud and Radio-Quiet AGNs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kozieł-Wierzbowska, Dorota [Astronomical Observatory, Jagiellonian University, Krakow (Poland); Stasińska, Grażyna [LUTH, Observatoire de Paris, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris Diderot, Meudon (France); Vale Asari, Natalia [Departamento de Física–CFM, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis (Brazil); Sikora, Marek [Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Warsaw (Poland); Goettems, Elisa [Departamento de Física–CFM, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis (Brazil); Wójtowicz, Anna, E-mail: dorota.koziel@uj.edu.pl [Astronomical Observatory, Jagiellonian University, Krakow (Poland)

    2017-11-07

    Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are known to cover an extremely broad range of radio luminosities and the spread of their radio-loudness is very large at any value of the Eddington ratio. This implies very diverse jet production efficiencies which can result from the spread of the black hole spins and magnetic fluxes. Magnetic fluxes can be developed stochastically in the innermost zones of accretion discs, or can be advected to the central regions prior to the AGN phase. In the latter case there could be systematic differences between the properties of galaxies hosting radio-loud (RL) and radio-quiet (RQ) AGNs. In the former case the differences should be negligible for objects having the same Eddington ratio. To study the problem we decided to conduct a comparison study of host galaxy properties of RL and RQ AGNs. In this study we selected type II AGNs from SDSS spectroscopic catalogs. Our RL AGN sample consists of the AGNs appearing in the Best and Heckman (2012) catalog of radio galaxies. To compare RL and RQ galaxies that have the same AGN parameters we matched the galaxies in black hole mass, Eddington ratio and redshift. We compared several properties of the host galaxies in these two groups of objects like galaxy mass, color, concentration index, line widths, morphological type and interaction signatures. We found that in the studied group RL AGNs are preferentially hosted by elliptical galaxies while RQ ones are hosted by galaxies of later type. We also found that the fraction of interacting galaxies is the same in both groups of AGNs. These results suggest that the magnetic flux in RL AGNs is advected to the nucleus prior to the AGN phase.

  3. Radio Loud AGN Unification: Connecting Jets and Accretion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meyer Eileen T.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available While only a fraction of Active Galactic Nuclei are observed to host a powerful relativistic jet, a cohesive picture is emerging that radio-loud AGN may represent an important phase in the evolution of galaxies and the growth of the central super-massive black hole. I will review my own recent observational work in radio-loud AGN unification in the context of understanding how and why jets form and their the connection to different kinds of accretion and growing the black hole, along with a brief discussion of possible connections to recent modeling work in jet formation. Starting from the significant observational advances in our understanding of jetted AGN as a population over the last decade thanks to new, more sensitive instruments such as Fermi and Swift as well as all-sky surveys at all frequencies, I will lay out the case for a dichotomy in the jetted AGN population connected to accretion mode onto the black hole. In recent work, we have identified two sub-populations of radio-loud AGN which appear to be distinguished by jet structure, where low-efficiency accreting systems produce ‘weak’ jets which decelerate more rapidly than the ’strong’ jets of black holes accreting near the Eddington limit. The two classes are comprised of: (1The weak jet sources, corresponding to the less collimated, edge-darkened FR Is, with a decelerating or spine-sheath jet with velocity gradients, and (2 The strong jet sources, having fast, collimated jets, and typically displaying strong emission lines. The dichotomy in the vp-Lp plane can be understood as a "broken power sequence" in which jets exist on one branch or the other based on the particular accretion mode (Georganopolous 2011.We suggest that the intrinsic kinetic power (as measured by low-frequency, isotropic radio emission, the orientation, and the accretion rate of the SMBH system are the the fundamental axes needed for unification of radio-loud AGN by studying a well-characterized sample

  4. The unification of powerful radio-loud AGN: the multi-wavelength balance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Podigachoski, Pece; Barthel, Peter; Haas, Martin; Leipski, Christian; Wilkes, Belinda; Rocca-Volmerange, Brigitte; Drouart, Guillaume

    2016-01-01

    Powerful radio-loud AGN, by virtue of their optically-thin low-frequency radio emission, represent unique targets in orientation-based unification studies, and in searches for orientation indicators and orientation invariants. Central in these efforts is the landmark Third Cambridge Catalog of Radio

  5. Ultra-Fast Outflows in Radio-Loud AGN: New Constraints on Jet-Disk Connection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sambruna, Rita

    There is strong observational and theoretical evidence that outflows/jets are coupled to accretion disks in black hole accreting systems, from Galactic to extragalactic sizes. While in radio-quiet AGN there is ample evidence for the presence of Ultra-Fast Outflows (UFOs) from the presence of blue-shifted absorption features in their 4-10~keV spectra, sub-relativistic winds are expected on theoretical basis in radio-loud AGN but have not been observed until now. Our recent Suzaku observations of 5 bright Broad- Line Radio Galaxies (BLRGs, the radio-loud counterparts of Seyferts) has started to change this picture. We found strong evidence for UFOs in 3 out of 5 BLRGs, with ionization parameters, column densities, and velocities of the absorber similar to Seyferts. Moreover, the outflows in BLRGs are likely to be energetically very significant: from the Suzaku data of the three sources, outflow masses similar to the accretion masses and kinetic energies of the wind similar to the X-ray luminosity and radio power of the jet are inferred. Clearly, UFOs in radio-loud AGN represent a new key ingredient to understand their central engines and in particular, the jet-disk linkage. Our discovery of UFOs in a handful of BLRGs raises the questions of how common disk winds are in radio-loud AGN, what the absorber physical and dynamical characteristics are, and what is the outflow role in broader picture of galaxy-black hole connection for radio sources, i.e., for large-scale feedback models. To address these and other issues, we propose to use archival XMM-Newton and Suzaku spectra to search for Ultra-Fast Outflows in a large number of radio sources. Over a period of two years, we will conduct a systematic, uniform analysis of the archival X-ray data, building on our extensive experience with a similar previous project for Seyferts, and using robust analysis and statistical methodologies. As an important side product, we will also obtain accurate, self- consistent measurements

  6. Fossil shell emission in dying radio loud AGNs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kino, M.; Ito, H.; Kawakatu, N.; Orienti, M.; Nagai, H.; Wajima, K.; Itoh, R.

    2016-02-01

    We investigate shell emission associated with dying radio loud AGNs. First, based on our recent work by Ito et al. (2015), we describe the dynamical and spectral evolution of shells after stopping the jet energy injection. We find that the shell emission overwhelms that of the radio lobes soon after stopping the jet energy injection because fresh electrons are continuously supplied into the shell via the forward shock, while the radio lobes rapidly fade out without jet energy injection. We find that such fossil shells can be a new class of target sources for SKA telescope. Next, we apply the model to the nearby radio source 3C84. Then, we find that the fossil shell emission in 3C84 is less luminous in the radio band while it is bright in the TeV γ-ray band and can be detectable by CTA. Data from STELLA

  7. The contribution of unresolved radio-loud AGN to the extragalactic diffuse gamma-ray background

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mucke, A.; Pohl, M.

    2000-01-01

    , and on the unification scheme of radio-loud AGN. According to this picture, blazars represent the beamed fraction of the Fanaroff-Riley radio galaxies (FR galaxies). The observed log N-log S distribution and redshift distribution of both FSRQs and BL Lacs constrain our model. Depending slightly on the evolutionary...

  8. HST Grism Confirmation of 16 Structures at 1.4 < z < 2.8 from the Clusters Around Radio-Loud AGN (CARLA) Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noirot, Gaël; Stern, Daniel; Mei, Simona; Wylezalek, Dominika; Cooke, Elizabeth A.; De Breuck, Carlos; Galametz, Audrey; Hatch, Nina A.; Vernet, Joël; Brodwin, Mark; Eisenhardt, Peter; Gonzalez, Anthony H.; Jarvis, Matt; Rettura, Alessandro; Seymour, Nick; Stanford, S. A.

    2018-05-01

    We report spectroscopic results from our 40-orbit Hubble Space Telescope slitless grism spectroscopy program observing the 20 densest Clusters Around Radio-Loud AGN (CARLA) candidate galaxy clusters at 1.4 targeting 420 distant radio-loud AGN. We report the spectroscopic confirmation of 16 distant structures at 1.4 targeted powerful high-redshift radio-loud AGN. We also report the serendipitous discovery and spectroscopic confirmation of seven additional structures at 0.87 targeted radio-loud AGN. We find that 1010–1011 M ⊙ member galaxies of our confirmed CARLA structures form significantly fewer stars than their field counterparts at all redshifts within 1.4 ≤ z ≤ 2. We also observe higher star-forming activity in the structure cores up to z = 2, finding similar trends as cluster surveys at slightly lower redshifts (1.0 strategy of obtaining just two grism orbits per field only obtains spectroscopic confirmation of emission line galaxies. Deeper spectroscopy will be required to study the population of evolved, massive galaxies in these (forming) clusters. Lacking multi-band coverage of the fields, we adopt a very conservative approach of calling all confirmations “structures,” although we note that a number of features are consistent with some of them being bona fide galaxy clusters. Together this survey represents a unique and large homogenous sample of spectroscopically confirmed structures at high redshifts, potentially more than doubling the census of confirmed, massive clusters at z > 1.4.

  9. The difference between radio-loud and radio-quiet active galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, A. S.; Colbert, E. J. M.

    1995-01-01

    The recent development of unified theories of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) has indicated that there are two physically distinct classes of these objects--radio-loud and radio-quiet. Despite differences, the (probable) thermal emissions from the AGNs (continua and lines from X-ray to infrared wavelengths) are quite similar to the two classes of object. We argue that this last result suggests that the black hole masses and mass accretion rates in the two classes are not greatly different, and that the difference between the classes is associated with the spin of the black hole. We assume that the normal process of accretion through a disk does not lead to rapidly spinning holes and propose that galaxies (e.g., spirals) which have not suffered a recent major merger event contain nonrotating or only slowly rotating black holes. When two such galaxies merge, the two black holes are known to form a binary and we assume that they eventually coalesce. The ratio of the number of radio-loud to radio-quiet AGNs at a given thermal (e.g., optical) luminosity is determined by the galaxy merger rate. Comparisons between the predicted and observed radio luminosity functions constrain the efficiencies with which jet power is extracted from the spinning hole and radio emission is produced by the jet.

  10. Stellar Dynamics and Star Formation Histories of z ∼ 1 Radio-loud Galaxies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barišić, Ivana; Van der Wel, Arjen; Chauké, Priscilla; Van Houdt, Josha; Straatman, Caroline [Max-Planck Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117, Heidelberg (Germany); Bezanson, Rachel [Department of Astrophysics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Pacifici, Camilla [Astrophysics Science Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 665, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Noeske, Kai [experimenta gGmbH, Kranenstraße 14, 74072 Heilbronn (Germany); Muñoz-Mateos, Juan C. [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Casilla 19001, Vitacura, Santiago (Chile); Franx, Marijn; Labbé, Ivo; Maseda, Michael V.; Sobral, David [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, NL-2300 AA Leiden (Netherlands); Smolčić, Vernesa [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Bijenicka cesta 32, 10000 Zagreb (Croatia); Bell, Eric F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 1085 S. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Brammer, Gabriel [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Calhau, João [Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4 YB (United Kingdom); Van Dokkum, Pieter G. [Department of Astronomy, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511 (United States); Gallazzi, Anna [INAF-Osservatorio Astrofsico di Arcetri, Largo Enrico Fermi 5, I-50125 Firenze (Italy); Muzzin, Adam, E-mail: barisic@mpia.de [Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, ON MJ3 1P3 (Canada); and others

    2017-09-20

    We investigate the stellar kinematics and stellar populations of 58 radio-loud galaxies of intermediate luminosities ( L {sub 3} {sub GHz} > 10{sup 23} W Hz{sup −1}) at 0.6 < z < 1. This sample is constructed by cross-matching galaxies from the deep VLT/VIMOS LEGA-C spectroscopic survey with the VLA 3 GHz data set. The LEGA-C continuum spectra reveal for the first time stellar velocity dispersions and age indicators of z ∼ 1 radio galaxies. We find that z ∼ 1 radio-loud active galactic nucleus (AGN) occur exclusively in predominantly old galaxies with high velocity dispersions: σ {sub *} > 175 km s{sup −1}, corresponding to black hole masses in excess of 10{sup 8} M {sub ⊙}. Furthermore, we confirm that at a fixed stellar mass the fraction of radio-loud AGN at z ∼ 1 is five to 10 times higher than in the local universe, suggesting that quiescent, massive galaxies at z ∼ 1 switch on as radio AGN on average once every Gyr. Our results strengthen the existing evidence for a link between high black hole masses, radio loudness, and quiescence at z ∼ 1.

  11. VizieR Online Data Catalog: Radio-loud AGN with relativistic jets (Olguin-Iglesias+, 2016)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olguin-Iglesias, A.; Leon-Tavares, J.; Kotilainen, J. K.; Chavushyan, V.; Tornikoski, M.; Valtaoja, E.; Anorve, C.; Valdes, J.; Carrasco, L.

    2017-11-01

    The sample of sources analysed in this work is a sub-sample of variable radio-loud AGN monitored at 7mm (S7mm>1Jy) with the Aalto University Metsahovi Radio Observatory, in Finland (http://metsahovi.aalto.fi/en/) since the last 30 years (Terasranta et al., 1992A&AS...94..121T; Teraesranta et al., 1998, Cat. J/A+AS/132/305; Leon-Tavares et al., 2011A&A...532A.146L; Nieppola et al., 2011, Cat. J/A+A/535/A69). According to the AGN unification scheme (Antonucci, 1993ARA&A..31..473A; Urry & Padovani, 1995PASP..107..803U), FSRQ and BL Lacs are those AGN whose relativistic jets point towards the Earth. Observations were made with the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) at La Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma, Canarias, Spain. They were conducted between 2011 May 09 and September 15 using the near-infrared Camera (NOTCam)3 on the NOT. NOTcam field of view is 4'x4' with a pixel scale of 0.234-arcsec/pixel designed to be used in the range from 0.8 to 2.5um in the bands J, H and K. (1 data file).

  12. Jet launching radius in low-power radio-loud AGNs in advection-dominated accretion flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Truong; Newman, William; Edge, Brinkley

    2018-06-01

    Using our theory for the production of relativistic outflows, we estimate the jet launching radius and the inferred mass accretion rate for 52 low-power radio-loud AGNs based on the observed jet powers. Our analysis indicates that (1) a significant fraction of the accreted energy is required to convert the accreted mass to relativistic energy particles for the production of the jets near the event horizon, (2) the jet's launching radius moves radially towards the horizon as the mass accretion rate or jet's power increases, and (3) no jet/outflow formation is possible beyond 44 gravitational radii.

  13. Satellites of radio AGN in SDSS: Insights into agn triggering and feedback

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pace, Cameron; Salim, Samir, E-mail: cjpace@indiana.edu, E-mail: salims@indiana.edu [Indiana University, Department of Astronomy, Swain Hall West 319, Bloomington, IN 47405-7105 (United States)

    2014-04-10

    We study the effects of radio jets on galaxies in their vicinity (satellites) and the role of satellites in triggering radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The study compares the aggregate properties of satellites of a sample of 7220 radio AGNs at z < 0.3 (identified by Best and Heckman from the SDSS and NVSS+FIRST surveys) to the satellites of a control sample of radio-quiet galaxies, which are matched in redshift, color, luminosity, and axis ratio, as well as by environment type: field galaxies, cluster members, and brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). Remarkably, we find that radio AGNs exhibit on average a 50% excess (17σ significance) in the number of satellites within 100 kpc even though the cluster membership was controlled (e.g., radio BCGs have more satellites than radio-quiet BCGs, etc.). Satellite excess is not confirmed for high-excitation sources, which are only 2% of radio AGN. Extra satellites may be responsible for raising the probability for hot gas AGN accretion via tidal effects or may otherwise enhance the intensity or duration of the radio-emitting phase. Furthermore, we find that the incidence of radio AGNs among potential hosts (massive ellipticals) is similar for field galaxies and for non-BCG cluster members, suggesting that AGN fueling depends primarily on conditions in the host halo rather than the parent, cluster halo. Regarding feedback, we find that radio AGNs, either high or low excitation, have no detectable effect on star formation in their satellites, as neither induced star formation nor star formation quenching is present in more than ∼1% of radio AGN.

  14. Satellites of radio AGN in SDSS: Insights into agn triggering and feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pace, Cameron; Salim, Samir

    2014-01-01

    We study the effects of radio jets on galaxies in their vicinity (satellites) and the role of satellites in triggering radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The study compares the aggregate properties of satellites of a sample of 7220 radio AGNs at z < 0.3 (identified by Best and Heckman from the SDSS and NVSS+FIRST surveys) to the satellites of a control sample of radio-quiet galaxies, which are matched in redshift, color, luminosity, and axis ratio, as well as by environment type: field galaxies, cluster members, and brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). Remarkably, we find that radio AGNs exhibit on average a 50% excess (17σ significance) in the number of satellites within 100 kpc even though the cluster membership was controlled (e.g., radio BCGs have more satellites than radio-quiet BCGs, etc.). Satellite excess is not confirmed for high-excitation sources, which are only 2% of radio AGN. Extra satellites may be responsible for raising the probability for hot gas AGN accretion via tidal effects or may otherwise enhance the intensity or duration of the radio-emitting phase. Furthermore, we find that the incidence of radio AGNs among potential hosts (massive ellipticals) is similar for field galaxies and for non-BCG cluster members, suggesting that AGN fueling depends primarily on conditions in the host halo rather than the parent, cluster halo. Regarding feedback, we find that radio AGNs, either high or low excitation, have no detectable effect on star formation in their satellites, as neither induced star formation nor star formation quenching is present in more than ∼1% of radio AGN.

  15. Fermi-LAT γ-ray anisotropy and intensity explained by unresolved radio-loud active galactic nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mauro, Mattia Di; Cuoco, Alessandro; Donato, Fiorenza; Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M.

    2014-01-01

    Radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) are expected to contribute substantially to both the intensity and anisotropy of the isotropic γ-ray background (IGRB). In turn, the measured properties of the IGRB can be used to constrain the characteristics of proposed contributing source classes. We consider individual subclasses of radio-loud AGN, including low-, intermediate-, and high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacertae objects, flat-spectrum radio quasars, and misaligned AGN. Using updated models of the γ-ray luminosity functions of these populations, we evaluate the energy-dependent contribution of each source class to the intensity and anisotropy of the IGRB. We find that collectively radio-loud AGN can account for the entirety of the IGRB intensity and anisotropy as measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Misaligned AGN provide the bulk of the measured intensity but a negligible contribution to the anisotropy, while high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacertae objects provide the dominant contribution to the anisotropy. In anticipation of upcoming measurements with the Fermi-LAT and the forthcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array, we predict the anisotropy in the broader energy range that will be accessible to future observations

  16. Fermi-LAT γ-ray anisotropy and intensity explained by unresolved radio-loud active galactic nuclei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mauro, Mattia Di; Cuoco, Alessandro; Donato, Fiorenza [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Torino, via P. Giuria 1, Torino, 10125 Italy (Italy); Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M., E-mail: mattia.dimauro@to.infn.it, E-mail: alessandro.cuoco@to.infn.it, E-mail: donato@to.infn.it, E-mail: jsg@tapir.caltech.edu [California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91125 (United States)

    2014-11-01

    Radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) are expected to contribute substantially to both the intensity and anisotropy of the isotropic γ-ray background (IGRB). In turn, the measured properties of the IGRB can be used to constrain the characteristics of proposed contributing source classes. We consider individual subclasses of radio-loud AGN, including low-, intermediate-, and high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacertae objects, flat-spectrum radio quasars, and misaligned AGN. Using updated models of the γ-ray luminosity functions of these populations, we evaluate the energy-dependent contribution of each source class to the intensity and anisotropy of the IGRB. We find that collectively radio-loud AGN can account for the entirety of the IGRB intensity and anisotropy as measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Misaligned AGN provide the bulk of the measured intensity but a negligible contribution to the anisotropy, while high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacertae objects provide the dominant contribution to the anisotropy. In anticipation of upcoming measurements with the Fermi-LAT and the forthcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array, we predict the anisotropy in the broader energy range that will be accessible to future observations.

  17. Interpreting radiative efficiency in radio-loud AGNs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardcastle, Martin

    2018-04-01

    Radiative efficiency in radio-loud active galactic nuclei is governed by the accretion rate onto the central black hole rather than directly by the type of accreted matter; while it correlates with real differences in host galaxies and environments, it does not provide unambiguous information about particular objects.

  18. Infrared-faint radio sources in the SERVS deep fields. Pinpointing AGNs at high redshift

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maini, A.; Prandoni, I.; Norris, R. P.; Spitler, L. R.; Mignano, A.; Lacy, M.; Morganti, R.

    2016-12-01

    Context. Infrared-faint radio sources (IFRS) represent an unexpected class of objects which are relatively bright at radio wavelength, but unusually faint at infrared (IR) and optical wavelengths. A recent and extensive campaign on the radio-brightest IFRSs (S1.4 GHz≳ 10 mJy) has provided evidence that most of them (if not all) contain an active galactic nuclei (AGN). Still uncertain is the nature of the radio-faintest IFRSs (S1.4 GHz≲ 1 mJy). Aims: The scope of this paper is to assess the nature of the radio-faintest IFRSs, testing their classification and improving the knowledge of their IR properties by making use of the most sensitive IR survey available so far: the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS). We also explore how the criteria of IFRSs can be fine-tuned to pinpoint radio-loud AGNs at very high redshift (z > 4). Methods: We analysed a number of IFRS samples identified in SERVS fields, including a new sample (21 sources) extracted from the Lockman Hole. 3.6 and 4.5 μm IR counterparts of the 64 sources located in the SERVS fields were searched for and, when detected, their IR properties were studied. Results: We compared the radio/IR properties of the IR-detected IFRSs with those expected for a number of known classes of objects. We found that IR-detected IFRSs are mostly consistent with a mixture of high-redshift (z ≳ 3) radio-loud AGNs. The faintest ones (S1.4 GHz 100 μJy), however, could be also associated with nearer (z 2) dust-enshrouded star-burst galaxies. We also argue that, while IFRSs with radio-to-IR ratios >500 can very efficiently pinpoint radio-loud AGNs at redshift 2 < z < 4, lower radio-to-IR ratios ( 100-200) are expected for higher redshift radio-loud AGNs.

  19. New Insights on the Accretion Disk-Winds Connection in Radio-Loud AGNs from Suzaku

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tombesi, F.; Sambruna, R. M.; Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V.; Cappi, M.; Reynolds, S.; Mushotzky, R. F.

    2011-01-01

    From the spectral analysis of long Suzaku observations of five radio-loud AGNs we have been able to discover the presence of ultra-fast outflows with velocities ,,approx.0.1 c in three of them, namely 3C III, 3C 120 and 3C 390.3. They are consistent with being accretion disk winds/outflows. We also performed a follow-up on 3C III to monitor its outflow on approx.7 days time-scales and detected an anti-correlated variability of a possible relativistic emission line with respect to blue-shifted Fe K features, following a flux increase. This provides the first direct evidence for an accretion disc-wind connection in an AGN. The mass outflow rate of these outflows can be comparable to the accretion rate and their mechanical power can correspond to a significant fraction of the bolometric luminosity and is comparable to their typical jet power. Therefore, they can possibly play a significant role in the expected feedback from AGNs and can give us further clues on the relation between the accretion disk and the formation of winds/jets.

  20. FRESH ACTIVITY IN OLD SYSTEMS: RADIO AGNs IN FOSSIL GROUPS OF GALAXIES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hess, Kelley M.; Wilcots, Eric M.; Hartwick, Victoria L.

    2012-01-01

    We present the first systematic 1.4 GHz Very Large Array radio continuum survey of fossil galaxy group candidates. These are virialized systems believed to have assembled over a gigayear in the past through the merging of galaxy group members into a single, isolated, massive elliptical galaxy and featuring an extended hot X-ray halo. We use new photometric and spectroscopic data from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 to determine that three of the candidates are clearly not fossil groups. Of the remaining 30 candidates, 67% contain a radio-loud (L 1.4GHz > 10 23 W Hz –1 ) active galactic nucleus (AGN) at the center of their dominant elliptical galaxy. We find a weak correlation between the radio luminosity of the AGN and the X-ray luminosity of the halo suggesting that the AGN contributes to energy deposition into the intragroup medium. We only find a correlation between the radio and optical luminosity of the central elliptical galaxy when we include X-ray-selected, elliptically dominated non-fossil groups, indicating a weak relationship between AGN strength and the mass assembly history of the groups. The dominant elliptical galaxy of fossil groups is on average roughly an order of magnitude more luminous than normal group elliptical galaxies in optical, X-ray, and radio luminosities and our findings are consistent with previous results that the radio-loud fraction in elliptical galaxies is linked to the stellar mass of a population. The current level of activity in fossil groups suggests that AGN fueling continues long after the last major merger. We discuss several possibilities for fueling the AGN at the present epoch.

  1. Particle content, radio-galaxy morphology, and jet power: all radio-loud AGN are not equal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Croston, J. H.; Ineson, J.; Hardcastle, M. J.

    2018-05-01

    Ongoing and future radio surveys aim to trace the evolution of black hole growth and feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) throughout cosmic time; however, there remain major uncertainties in translating radio luminosity functions into a reliable assessment of the energy input as a function of galaxy and/or dark matter halo mass. A crucial and long-standing problem is the composition of the radio-lobe plasma that traces AGN jet activity. In this paper, we carry out a systematic comparison of the plasma conditions in Fanaroff & Riley class I and II radio galaxies to demonstrate conclusively that their internal composition is systematically different. This difference is best explained by the presence of an energetically dominant proton population in the FRI, but not the FRII radio galaxies. We show that, as expected from this systematic difference in particle content, radio morphology also affects the jet-power/radio-luminosity relationship, with FRII radio galaxies having a significantly lower ratio of jet power to radio luminosity than the FRI cluster radio sources used to derive jet-power scaling relations via X-ray cavity measurements. Finally, we also demonstrate conclusively that lobe composition is unconnected to accretion mode (optical excitation class): the internal conditions of low- and high-excitation FRII radio lobes are indistinguishable. We conclude that inferences of population-wide AGN impact require careful assessment of the contribution of different jet subclasses, particularly given the increased diversity of jet evolutionary states expected to be present in deep, low-frequency radio surveys such as the LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey.

  2. The Gamma-Ray Emitting Radio-Loud Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy PKS 2004-447 II. The Radio View

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulz, R.; Kreikenbohm, A.; Kadler, M.; Ojha, R.; Ros, E.; Stevens, J.; Edwards, P. G.; Carpenter, B.; Elsaesser, D.; Gehrels, N.; hide

    2016-01-01

    Context. gamma-ray-detected radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (gamma-NLS1) galaxies constitute a small but interesting sample of the gamma-ray-loud AGN. The radio-loudest gamma-NLS1 known, PKS2004447, is located in the southern hemisphere and is monitored in the radio regime by the multiwavelength monitoring programme TANAMI. Aims. We aim for the first detailed study of the radio morphology and long-term radio spectral evolution of PKS2004447, which are essential for understanding the diversity of the radio properties of gamma-NLS1s. Methods. The TANAMI VLBI monitoring program uses the Australian Long Baseline Array (LBA) and telescopes in Antarctica, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa to monitor the jets of radio-loud active galaxies in the southern hemisphere. Lower resolution radio flux density measurements at multiple radio frequencies over four years of observations were obtained with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). Results. The TANAMI VLBI image at 8.4GHz shows an extended one-sided jet with a dominant compact VLBI core. Its brightness temperature is consistent with equipartition, but it is an order of magnitude below other gamma-NLS1s with the sample value varying over two orders of magnitude. We find a compact morphology with a projected large-scale size 11 kpc and a persistent steep radio spectrum with moderate flux-density variability. Conclusions. PKS2004447 appears to be a unique member of the gamma-NLS1 sample. It exhibits blazar-like features, such as a flat featureless X-ray spectrum and a core-dominated, one-sided parsec-scale jet with indications for relativistic beaming. However, the data also reveal properties atypical for blazars, such as a radio spectrum and large-scale size consistent with compact-steep-spectrum (CSS) objects, which are usually associated with young radio sources. These characteristics are unique among all gamma-NLS1s and extremely rare among gamma-ray-loud AGN.

  3. Duty-cycle and energetics of remnant radio-loud AGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, Ross J.

    2018-05-01

    Deriving the energetics of remnant and restarted active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is much more challenging than for active sources due to the complexity in accurately determining the time since the nucleus switched-off. I resolve this problem using a new approach that combines spectral ageing and dynamical models to tightly constrain the energetics and duty-cycles of dying sources. Fitting the shape of the integrated radio spectrum yields the fraction of the source age the nucleus is active; this, in addition to the flux density, source size, axis ratio, and properties of the host environment, provides a constraint on dynamical models describing the remnant radio source. This technique is used to derive the intrinsic properties of the well-studied remnant radio source B2 0924+30. This object is found to spend 50_{-12}^{+14} Myr in the active phase and a further 28_{-5}^{+6} Myr in the quiescent phase, have a jet kinetic power of 3.6_{-1.7}^{+3.0}× 10^{37} W, and a lobe magnetic field strength below equipartition at the 8σ level. The integrated spectra of restarted and intermittent radio sources are found to yield a `steep-shallow' shape when the previous outburst occurred within 100 Myr. The duty-cycle of B2 0924+30 is hence constrained to be δ < 0.15 by fitting the shortest time to the previous comparable outburst that does not appreciably modify the remnant spectrum. The time-averaged feedback energy imparted by AGNs into their host galaxy environments can in this manner be quantified.

  4. The X-Ray Reflection Spectrum of the Radio-loud Quasar 4C 74.26

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lohfink, Anne M.; Fabian, Andrew C.; Ballantyne, David R.

    2017-01-01

    The relativistic jets created by some active galactic nuclei are important agents of AGN feedback. In spite of this, our understanding of what produces these jets is still incomplete. X-ray observations, which can probe the processes operating in the central regions in the immediate vicinity of t...... the three months covered by our NuSTAR campaign. This lack of variation could mean that the jet formation in this radio-loud quasar differs from what is observed in broad-line radio galaxies.......The relativistic jets created by some active galactic nuclei are important agents of AGN feedback. In spite of this, our understanding of what produces these jets is still incomplete. X-ray observations, which can probe the processes operating in the central regions in the immediate vicinity...... of the supermassive black hole, the presumed jet launching point, are potentially particularly valuable in illuminating the jet formation process. Here, we present the hard X-ray NuSTAR observations of the radio-loud quasar 4C 74.26 in a joint analysis with quasi-simultaneous, soft X-ray Swift observations. Our...

  5. A tale of two feedbacks: Star formation in the host galaxies of radio AGNs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karouzos, Marios; Im, Myungshin; Jeon, Yiseul; Kim, Ji Hoon [CEOU-Astronomy Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Trichas, Markos [Airbus Defence and Space, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2AS (United Kingdom); Goto, Tomo [Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen (Denmark); Malkan, Matt [Division of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 3-714 UCLA, CA 90095-1547 (United States); Ruiz, Angel [Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Post Bag 4, Ganeshkhind, 411 007 Pune (India); Lee, Hyung Mok; Kim, Seong Jin [Astronomy Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Oi, Nagisa; Matsuhara, Hideo; Takagi, Toshinobu; Murata, K.; Wada, Takehiko; Wada, Kensuke [Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, Yoshino-dai 3-1-1, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 229-8510 (Japan); Shim, Hyunjin [Department of Earth Science Education, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701 (Korea, Republic of); Hanami, Hitoshi [Physics Section, Faculty of Humanities, Iwate University, Ueda 3 chome, 18-34 Morioka, Morioka, Iwate 020-8550 (Japan); Serjeant, Stephen; White, Glenn J., E-mail: mkarouzos@astro.snu.ac.kr [Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes (United Kingdom); and others

    2014-04-01

    Several lines of argument support the existence of a link between activity at the nuclei of galaxies, in the form of an accreting supermassive black hole, and star formation activity in these galaxies. Radio jets have long been argued to be an ideal mechanism that allows active galactic nuclei (AGNs) to interact with their host galaxies and affect star formation. We use a sample of radio sources in the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) field to study the nature of this putative link, by means of spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting. We employ the excellent spectral coverage of the AKARI infrared space telescope and the rich ancillary data available in the NEP to build SEDs extending from UV to far-IR wavelengths. We find a significant AGN component in our sample of relatively faint radio sources (AGN component and that of star formation in the host galaxy, independent of the radio luminosity. In contrast, for narrow redshift and AGN luminosity ranges, we find that increasing radio luminosity leads to a decrease in the specific star formation rate. The most radio-loud AGNs are found to lie on the main sequence of star formation for their respective redshifts. For the first time, we potentially see such a two-sided feedback process in the same sample. We discuss the possible suppression of star formation, but not total quenching, in systems with strong radio jets, that supports the maintenance nature of feedback from radio AGN jets.

  6. Two active states of the narrow-line gamma-ray-loud AGN GB 1310+487

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sokolovsky, K. V.

    2014-01-01

    Context. Previously unremarkable, the extragalactic radio source GB1310+487 showed a γ-ray flare on 2009 November 18, reaching a daily flux of ~ 10"-"6 photons cm"-"2 s"-"1 at energies E > 100MeV and became one of the brightest GeV sources for about two weeks. Its optical spectrum shows strong forbidden-line emission while lacking broad permitted lines, which is not typical for a blazar. Instead, the spectrum resembles those of narrow emission-line galaxies. Aims. We investigate changes in the object’s radio-to-GeV spectral energy distribution (SED) during and after the prominent γ-ray flare with the aim of determining the nature of the object and of constraining the origin of the variable high-energy emission. Methods. The data collected by the Fermi and AGILE satellites at γ-ray energies; Swift at X-ray and ultraviolet (UV); the Kanata, NOT, and Keck telescopes at optical; OAGH andWISE at infrared (IR); and IRAM30m, OVRO 40m, Effelsberg 100m, RATAN-600, and VLBA at radio are analyzed together to trace the SED evolution on timescales of months. Results. The γ-ray/radio-loud narrow-line active galactic nucleus (AGN) is located at redshift z = 0.638. It shines through an unrelated foreground galaxy at z = 0.500. The AGN light is probably amplified by gravitational lensing. The AGN SED shows a two-humped structure typical of blazars and γ-ray-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, with the high-energy (inverse-Compton) emission dominating by more than an order of magnitude over the low-energy (synchrotron) emission during γ-ray flares. The difference between the two SED humps is smaller during the low-activity state. Fermi observations reveal a strong correlation between the γ-ray flux and spectral index, with the hardest spectrum observed during the brightest γ-ray state. The γ-ray flares occurred before and during a slow rising trend in the radio, but no direct association between γ-ray and radio flares could be established. Conclusions. If the

  7. IRAS observations of radio-quiet and radio-loud quasars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neugebauer, G.; Soifer, B. T.; Miley, G.; Habing, H. J.; Young, E.; Low, F. J.; Beichman, C. A.; Clegg, P. E.; Harris, S.; Rowan-Robinson, M.

    1984-01-01

    Observations from 12 to 100 microns are presented of two radio-quiet and three radio-loud quasars. Over this wavelength range, all five have grossly similar continuum energy distributions. The continua of the radio-loud quasars are consistent with synchrotron radiation. There is an indication, however, of excess 100 micron emission in the two radio-quiet quasars.

  8. The infrared medium-deep survey. II. How to trigger radio AGNs? Hints from their environments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karouzos, Marios; Im, Myungshin; Kim, Jae-Woo; Lee, Seong-Kook; Jeon, Yiseul; Choi, Changsu; Hong, Jueun; Hyun, Minhee; Jun, Hyunsung David; Kim, Dohyeong; Kim, Yongjung; Kim, Ji Hoon; Kim, Duho; Park, Won-Kee; Taak, Yoon Chan; Yoon, Yongmin [CEOU—Astronomy Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Chapman, Scott [Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada); Pak, Soojong [School of Space Research, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446-701 (Korea, Republic of); Edge, Alastair, E-mail: mkarouzos@astro.snu.ac.kr [Department of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

    2014-12-10

    Activity at the centers of galaxies, during which the central supermassive black hole is accreting material, is nowadays accepted to be rather ubiquitous and most probably a phase of every galaxy's evolution. It has been suggested that galactic mergers and interactions may be the culprits behind the triggering of nuclear activity. We use near-infrared data from the new Infrared Medium-Deep Survey and the Deep eXtragalactic Survey of the VIMOS-SA22 field and radio data at 1.4 GHz from the FIRST survey and a deep Very Large Array survey to study the environments of radio active galactic nuclei (AGNs) over an area of ∼25 deg{sup 2} and down to a radio flux limit of 0.1 mJy and a J-band magnitude of 23 mag AB. Radio AGNs are predominantly found in environments similar to those of control galaxies at similar redshift, J-band magnitude, and (M{sub u} – M{sub r} ) rest-frame color. However, a subpopulation of radio AGNs is found in environments up to 100 times denser than their control sources. We thus preclude merging as the dominant triggering mechanism of radio AGNs. By fitting the broadband spectral energy distribution of radio AGNs in the least and most dense environments, we find that those in the least dense environments show higher radio-loudness, higher star formation efficiencies, and higher accretion rates, typical of the so-called high-excitation radio AGNs. These differences tend to disappear at z > 1. We interpret our results in terms of a different triggering mechanism for these sources that is driven by mass loss through winds of young stars created during the observed ongoing star formation.

  9. RADIO-LOUD NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 AS A NEW CLASS OF GAMMA-RAY ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Bechtol, K.; Berenji, B.; Bloom, E. D.; Borgland, A. W.; Cameron, R. A.; Baldini, L.; Bellazzini, R.; Bregeon, J.; Brez, A.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bonamente, E.; Brigida, M.; Bruel, P.; Burnett, T. H.; Caliandro, G. A.

    2009-01-01

    We report the discovery with Fermi/LAT of γ-ray emission from three radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies: PKS 1502+036 (z = 0.409), 1H 0323+342 (z = 0.061), and PKS 2004 - 447 (z = 0.24). In addition to PMN J0948+0022 (z = 0.585), the first source of this type to be detected in γ rays, they may form an emerging new class of γ-ray active galactic nuclei (AGNs). These findings can have strong implications on our knowledge about relativistic jets and the unified model of the AGN.

  10. VizieR Online Data Catalog: Blazars equivalent widths and radio luminosity (Landt+, 2004)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landt, H.; Padovani, P.; Perlman, E. S.; Giommi, P.

    2004-07-01

    Blazars are currently separated into BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs) and flat spectrum radio quasars based on the strength of their emission lines. This is performed rather arbitrarily by defining a diagonal line in the Ca H&K break value-equivalent width plane, following Marcha et al. (1996MNRAS.281..425M). We readdress this problem and put the classification scheme for blazars on firm physical grounds. We study ~100 blazars and radio galaxies from the Deep X-ray Radio Blazar Survey (DXRBS, Cat. and ) and 2-Jy radio survey and find a significant bimodality for the narrow emission line [OIII]{lambda}5007. This suggests the presence of two physically distinct classes of radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN). We show that all radio-loud AGN, blazars and radio galaxies, can be effectively separated into weak- and strong-lined sources using the [OIII]{lambda}5007-[OII]{lambda}3727 equivalent width plane. This plane allows one to disentangle orientation effects from intrinsic variations in radio-loud AGN. Based on DXRBS, the strongly beamed sources of the new class of weak-lined radio-loud AGN are made up of BL Lacs at the ~75 per cent level, whereas those of the strong-lined radio-loud AGN include mostly (~97 per cent) quasars. (4 data files).

  11. NUCLEAR X-RAY PROPERTIES OF THE PECULIAR RADIO-LOUD HIDDEN AGN 4C+29.30

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sobolewska, M. A.; Siemiginowska, Aneta; Migliori, G.; Evans, D.; Stawarz, Ł.; Jamrozy, M.; Cheung, C. C.

    2012-01-01

    We present results from a study of nuclear emission from a nearby radio galaxy, 4C+29.30, over a broad 0.5-200 keV X-ray band. This study used new XMM-Newton (∼17 ks) and Chandra (∼300 ks) data, and archival Swift/BAT data from the 58 month catalog. The hard (>2 keV) X-ray spectrum of 4C+29.30 can be decomposed into an intrinsic hard power law (Γ ∼ 1.56) modified by a cold absorber with an intrinsic column density N H,z ∼ 5 × 10 23 cm –2 , and its reflection (|Ω/2π| ∼ 0.3) from a neutral matter including a narrow iron Kα emission line at a rest-frame energy ∼6.4 keV. The reflected component is less absorbed than the intrinsic one with an upper limit on the absorbing column of N refl H,z 22 cm –2 . The X-ray spectrum varied between the XMM-Newton and Chandra observations. We show that a scenario invoking variations of the normalization of the power law is favored over a model with variable intrinsic column density. X-rays in the 0.5-2 keV band are dominated by diffuse emission modeled with a thermal bremsstrahlung component with temperature ∼0.7 keV, and contain only a marginal contribution from the scattered power-law component. We hypothesize that 4C+29.30 belongs to a class of 'hidden' active galactic nuclei containing a geometrically thick torus. However, unlike the majority of hidden AGNs, 4C+29.30 is radio-loud. Correlations between the scattering fraction and Eddington luminosity ratio, and between black hole mass and stellar velocity dispersion, imply that 4C+29.30 hosts a black hole with ∼10 8 M ☉ mass.

  12. Millimeter observations of radio-loud active galaxies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Bemmel, IM; Bertoldi, F

    In order to study the nature of the far-infrared emission observed in radio-loud active galaxies, we have obtained 1.2 mill observations with the IRAM 30 m telescope for a sample of eight radio-loud active galaxies. In all objects we find that the 1.2 mm emission is dominated by non-thermal

  13. Fermi LAT Detection of a GeV Flare from the Radio-Loud Narrow-Line Sy1 1H 0323+342

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpenter, Bryce; Ojha, Roopesh

    2013-08-01

    The Large Area Telescope (LAT), one of the two instruments on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, has observed increasing gamma-ray flux from a source positionally consistent with 1H 0323+342 (RA=03h24m41.1613s, Dec=+34d10m45.856s, J2000; Beasley et al. 2002, ApJS, 141, 13) at z= 0.061 (Marcha et al. 1996, MNRAS, 281, 425). This is the second nearest radio-loud Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy, a small and important class of gamma-ray loud AGN (Abdo et al.

  14. THE VLA SURVEY OF CHANDRA DEEP FIELD SOUTH. V. EVOLUTION AND LUMINOSITY FUNCTIONS OF SUB-MILLIJANSKY RADIO SOURCES AND THE ISSUE OF RADIO EMISSION IN RADIO-QUIET ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Padovani, P.; Mainieri, V.; Rosati, P.; Miller, N.; Kellermann, K. I.; Tozzi, P.

    2011-01-01

    We present the evolutionary properties and luminosity functions of the radio sources belonging to the Chandra Deep Field South Very Large Array survey, which reaches a flux density limit at 1.4 GHz of 43 μJy at the field center and redshift ∼5 and which includes the first radio-selected complete sample of radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We use a new, comprehensive classification scheme based on radio, far- and near-IR, optical, and X-ray data to disentangle star-forming galaxies (SFGs) from AGNs and radio-quiet from radio-loud AGNs. We confirm our previous result that SFGs become dominant only below 0.1 mJy. The sub-millijansky radio sky turns out to be a complex mix of SFGs and radio-quiet AGNs evolving at a similar, strong rate; non-evolving low-luminosity radio galaxies; and declining radio powerful (P ∼> 3 x 10 24 W Hz -1 ) AGNs. Our results suggest that radio emission from radio-quiet AGNs is closely related to star formation. The detection of compact, high brightness temperature cores in several nearby radio-quiet AGNs can be explained by the coexistence of two components, one non-evolving and AGN related and one evolving and star formation related. Radio-quiet AGNs are an important class of sub-millijansky sources, accounting for ∼30% of the sample and ∼60% of all AGNs, and outnumbering radio-loud AGNs at ∼< 0.1 mJy. This implies that future, large area sub-millijansky surveys, given the appropriate ancillary multiwavelength data, have the potential of being able to assemble vast samples of radio-quiet AGNs, bypassing the problems of obscuration that plague the optical and soft X-ray bands.

  15. The X-Ray Reflection Spectrum of the Radio-Loud Quasar 4C 74.26

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lohfink, Ann M.; Fabian, Andrew C.; Ballantyne, David R.; Boggs, S. E.; Boorman, Peter; Christensen, F. E.; Craig, W. W.; Farrah, Duncan; Garcia, Javier; Hailey, C. J.; hide

    2017-01-01

    The relativistic jets created by some active galactic nuclei are important agents of AGN feedback. In spite of this, our understanding of what produces these jets is still incomplete. X-ray observations, which can probe the processes operating in the central regions in the immediate vicinity of the supermassive black hole, the presumed jet launching point, are potentially particularly valuable in illuminating the jet formation process. Here, we present the hard X-ray NuSTAR observations of the radio-loud quasar 4C 74.26 in a joint analysis with quasi-simultaneous, soft X-ray Swift observations. Our spectral analysis reveals a high-energy cutoff of -183+3551 keV and confirms the presence of ionized reflection in the source. From the average spectrum we detect that the accretion disk is mildly recessed, with an inner radius of Rin4180 Rg. However, no significant evolution of the inner radius is seen during the three months covered by our NuSTAR campaign. This lack of variation could mean that the jet formation in this radio-loud quasar differs from what is observed in broad-line radio galaxies.

  16. Spitzer mid-IR spectroscopy of powerful 2Jy and 3CRR radio galaxies. II. AGN power indicators and unification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dicken, D. [CEA-Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Tadhunter, C. [University of Sheffield, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH (United Kingdom); Morganti, R. [ASTRON, P.O. Box 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo (Netherlands); Axon, D.; Robinson, A.; Magagnoli, M. [Rochester Institute of Technology, 84 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 (United States); Kharb, P. [Indian Institute of Astrophysics, II Block, Koramangala, Bangalore 560034 (India); Ramos Almeida, C. [Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), C/V ia Lactea, s/n, E-38205 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Mingo, B. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Hardcastle, M. [School of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB (United Kingdom); Nesvadba, N. P. H.; Singh, V. [Institut d' Astrophysique Spatiale, CNRS, Université Paris Sud, F-91405 Orsay (France); Kouwenhoven, M. B. N. [Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Yi He Yuan Lu 5, Haidian Qu, Beijing 100871 (China); Rose, M.; Spoon, H. [224 Space Sciences Building, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Inskip, K. J. [Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Holt, J., E-mail: daniel.dicken@cea.fr [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands)

    2014-06-20

    It remains uncertain which continuum and emission line diagnostics best indicate the bolometric powers of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), especially given the attenuation caused by the circumnuclear material and the possible contamination by components related to star formation. Here we use mid-IR spectra along with multiwavelength data to investigate the merit of various diagnostics of AGN radiative power, including the mid-IR [Ne III] λ25.89 μm and [O IV] λ25.89 μm fine-structure lines, the optical [O III] λ5007 forbidden line, and mid-IR 24 μm, 5 GHz radio, and X-ray continuum emission, for complete samples of 46 2Jy radio galaxies (0.05 < z < 0.7) and 17 3CRR FRII radio galaxies (z < 0.1). We find that the mid-IR [O IV] line is the most reliable indicator of AGN power for powerful radio-loud AGNs. By assuming that the [O IV] is emitted isotropically, and comparing the [O III] and 24 μm luminosities of the broad- and narrow-line AGNs in our samples at fixed [O IV] luminosity, we show that the [O III] and 24 μm emission are both mildly attenuated in the narrow-line compared to the broad-line objects by a factor of ≈2. However, despite this attenuation, the [O III] and 24 μm luminosities are better AGN power indicators for our sample than either the 5 GHz radio or the X-ray continuum luminosities. We also detect the mid-IR 9.7 μm silicate feature in the spectra of many objects but not ubiquitously: at least 40% of the sample shows no clear evidence for these features. We conclude that, for the majority of powerful radio galaxies, the mid-IR lines are powered by AGN photoionization.

  17. X-RAYS FROM A RADIO-LOUD COMPACT BROAD ABSORPTION LINE QUASAR 1045+352 AND THE NATURE OF OUTFLOWS IN RADIO-LOUD BROAD ABSORPTION LINE QUASARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kunert-Bajraszewska, Magdalena; Katarzynski, Krzysztof; Siemiginowska, Aneta; Janiuk, Agnieszka

    2009-01-01

    We present new results on X-ray properties of radio-loud broad absorption line (BAL) quasars and focus on broadband spectral properties of a high-ionization BAL (HiBAL) compact steep spectrum (CSS) radio-loud quasar 1045+352. This HiBAL quasar has a very complex radio morphology indicating either strong interactions between a radio jet and the surrounding interstellar medium or a possible re-start of the jet activity. We detected 1045+352 quasar in a short 5 ksec Chandra ACIS-S observation. We applied theoretical models to explain spectral energy distribution of 1045+352 and argue that non-thermal, inverse-Compton (IC) emission from the innermost parts of the radio jet can account for a large fraction of the observed X-ray emission. In our analysis, we also consider a scenario in which the observed X-ray emission from radio-loud BAL quasars can be a sum of IC jet X-ray emission and optically thin corona X-ray emission. We compiled a sample of radio-loud BAL quasars that were observed in X-rays to date and report no correlation between their X-ray and radio luminosity. However, the radio-loud BAL quasars show a large range of X-ray luminosities and absorption columns. This is consistent with the results obtained earlier for radio-quiet BAL quasars and may indicate an orientation effect in BAL quasars or more complex dependence between X-ray emission, radio emission, and an orientation based on the radio morphology.

  18. Observations Of Gamma-ray Loud Blazars With The VLBA At 5 GHz

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linford, Justin; Taylor, G. B.; Romani, R.; Readhead, A. C. S.; Reeves, R.; Richards, J. L.; Helmboldt, J. F.

    2011-01-01

    The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has been scanning the sky for more than a year. About half of the sources detected by Fermi's Large Area Telesope (LAT) are active galactic nuclei (AGN). Nearly all of these gamma-ray loud AGN are blazars; strong, compact radio emitters that exhibit variability in their flux and apparent superluminal motion in their jets. Several groups are currently monitoring the radio properties of these gamma-ray loud blazars. We present results from both archival and contemporaneous observations of 200 LAT-detected blazars using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at a frequency of 5 GHz (wavelength of 6 cm). Our large, flux-limited sample provides unique insights into the mechanism that produces strong gamma-ray emissions. We explore the parsec-scale properties of the cores and jets of these highly energetic objects, including core polarization. We compare the gamma-ray loud blazars to their gamma-ray quiet counterparts in the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey (VIPS). We also investigate the differences between the BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs) and flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs).

  19. HOW DOES RADIO AGN FEEDBACK FEED BACK?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Young, David S.

    2010-01-01

    The possible role of radio active galactic nucleus (AGN) 'feedback' in conventional hierarchical cosmological models has become widely discussed. This paper examines some of the details of how such feedback might work. A basic requirement is the conversion of radio AGN outflow energy into heating of the circumgalactic medium in a time comparable to the relevant cooling times. First, the class of radio AGN relevant to this process is identified as FR-I radio sources. Second, it is argued via comparisons with experimental data that these AGN outflows are strongly decelerated and become fully turbulent sonic or subsonic flows due to their interaction with the surrounding medium. Using this, a three-dimensional time-dependent calculation of the evolution of such turbulent magnetohydrodynamic flows is made to determine the time scale required for conversion of the turbulent energy into heat. This calculation, when coupled with observational data, suggests that the onset of heating can occur ∼10 8 yr after the fully turbulent flow is established, and this time is less than or comparable to the local cooling times in the interstellar or circumgalactic medium for many of these objects. The location of where heat deposition occurs remains uncertain, but estimates of outflow speeds suggest that heating may occur many tens of kpc from the center of the parent galaxy. Recent observations suggest that such radio AGN outflows may become dispersed on much larger scales than previously thought, thus possibly satisfying the requirement that heating occurs over a large fraction of the volume occupied by the circumgalactic gas.

  20. The MASIV Survey - IV. Relationship between intra-day scintillation and intrinsic variability of radio AGNs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koay, J. Y.; Macquart, J.-P.; Jauncey, D. L.; Pursimo, T.; Giroletti, M.; Bignall, H. E.; Lovell, J. E. J.; Rickett, B. J.; Kedziora-Chudczer, L.; Ojha, R.; Reynolds, C.

    2018-03-01

    We investigate the relationship between 5 GHz interstellar scintillation (ISS) and 15 GHz intrinsic variability of compact, radio-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) drawn from the Microarcsecond Scintillation-Induced Variability (MASIV) Survey and the Owens Valley Radio Observatory blazar monitoring program. We discover that the strongest scintillators at 5 GHz (modulation index, m5 ≥ 0.02) all exhibit strong 15 GHz intrinsic variability (m15 ≥ 0.1). This relationship can be attributed mainly to the mutual dependence of intrinsic variability and ISS amplitudes on radio core compactness at ˜ 100 μas scales, and to a lesser extent, on their mutual dependences on source flux density, arcsec-scale core dominance and redshift. However, not all sources displaying strong intrinsic variations show high amplitude scintillation, since ISS is also strongly dependent on Galactic line-of-sight scattering properties. This observed relationship between intrinsic variability and ISS highlights the importance of optimizing the observing frequency, cadence, timespan and sky coverage of future radio variability surveys, such that these two effects can be better distinguished to study the underlying physics. For the full MASIV sample, we find that Fermi-detected gamma-ray loud sources exhibit significantly higher 5 GHz ISS amplitudes than gamma-ray quiet sources. This relationship is weaker than the known correlation between gamma-ray loudness and the 15 GHz variability amplitudes, most likely due to jet opacity effects.

  1. Characteristics of Gamma-Ray Loud Blazars in the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linford, J. D.; Taylor, G. B.; Romani, R. W.; Healey, S. E.; Helmboldt, J. F.; Readhead, A. C.; Reeves, R.; Richards, J. L.; Cotter, G.

    2010-01-01

    The radio properties of blazars detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have been observed as part of the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey. This large, flux-limited sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) provides insights into the mechanism that produces strong gamma-ray emission. At lower flux levels, radio flux density does not directly correlate with gamma-ray flux. We find that the LAT-detected BL Lac objects tend to be similar to the non-LAT BL Lac objects, but that the LAT-detected FSRQs are often significantly different from the non-LAT FSRQs. The differences between the gamma-ray loud and quiet FSRQS can be explained by Doppler boosting; these objects appear to require larger Doppler factors than those of the BL Lac objects. It is possible that the gamma-ray loud FSRQs are fundamentally different from the gamma-ray quiet FSRQs. Strong polarization at the base of the jet appears to be a signature for gamma-ray loud AGNs.

  2. CHARACTERISTICS OF GAMMA-RAY LOUD BLAZARS IN THE VLBA IMAGING AND POLARIMETRY SURVEY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Linford, J. D.; Taylor, G. B.; Romani, R. W.; Healey, S. E.; Helmboldt, J. F.; Readhead, A. C. S.; Reeves, R.; Richards, J. L.; Cotter, G.

    2011-01-01

    The radio properties of blazars detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have been observed as part of the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey. This large, flux-limited sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) provides insights into the mechanism that produces strong γ-ray emission. At lower flux levels, radio flux density does not directly correlate with γ-ray flux. We find that the LAT-detected BL Lac objects tend to be similar to the non-LAT BL Lac objects, but that the LAT-detected FSRQs are often significantly different from the non-LAT FSRQs. The differences between the γ-ray loud and quiet FSRQs can be explained by Doppler boosting; these objects appear to require larger Doppler factors than those of the BL Lac objects. It is possible that the γ-ray loud FSRQs are fundamentally different from the γ-ray quiet FSRQs. Strong polarization at the base of the jet appears to be a signature for γ-ray loud AGNs.

  3. Characteristics of Gamma-ray Loud Blazars in the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linford, J. D.; Taylor, G. B.; Romani, R. W.; Healey, S. E.; Helmboldt, J. F.; Readhead, A. C. S.; Reeves, R.; Richards, J. L.; Cotter, G.

    2011-01-01

    The radio properties of blazars detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have been observed as part of the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey. This large, flux-limited sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) provides insights into the mechanism that produces strong γ-ray emission. At lower flux levels, radio flux density does not directly correlate with γ-ray flux. We find that the LAT-detected BL Lac objects tend to be similar to the non-LAT BL Lac objects, but that the LAT-detected FSRQs are often significantly different from the non-LAT FSRQs. The differences between the γ-ray loud and quiet FSRQs can be explained by Doppler boosting; these objects appear to require larger Doppler factors than those of the BL Lac objects. It is possible that the γ-ray loud FSRQs are fundamentally different from the γ-ray quiet FSRQs. Strong polarization at the base of the jet appears to be a signature for γ-ray loud AGNs.

  4. Baldwin Effect and Additional BLR Component in AGN with Superluminal Jets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Patiño-Álvarez, Víctor M.; Torrealba, Janet; Chavushyan, Vahram [Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica, Puebla (Mexico); Cruz-González, Irene [Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City (Mexico); Arshakian, Tigran [Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, Köln (Germany); Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, Byurakan (Armenia); Isaac Newton Institute of Chile in Estern Europe and Eurasia, Armenian Branch, Santiago (Chile); León-Tavares, Jonathan [Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica, Puebla (Mexico); Popović, Luka, E-mail: chavushyanv@gmail.com [Astronomical Observatory, Belgrade (Serbia)

    2016-06-02

    We study the Baldwin Effect (BE) in 96 core-jet blazars with optical and ultraviolet spectroscopic data from a radio-loud AGN sample obtained from the MOJAVE 2 cm survey. A statistical analysis is presented of the equivalent widths (W{sub λ}) of emission lines Hβ λ4861, Mg II λ2798, C IV λ1549, and continuum luminosities at 5100 Å, 3000 Å, and 1350 Å. The BE is found statistically significant (with confidence level c.l.≥ 95%) in Hβ and C IV emission lines, while for Mg II the trend is slightly less significant (c.l. = 94.5%). The slopes of the BE in the studied samples for Hβ and Mg II are found steeper and with statistically significant difference than those of a comparison radio-quiet sample. We present simulations of the expected BE slopes produced by the contribution to the total continuum of the non-thermal boosted emission from the relativistic jet, and by variability of the continuum components. We find that the slopes of the BE between radio-quiet and radio-loud AGN should not be different, under the assumption that the broad line is only being emitted by the canonical broad line region around the black hole. We discuss that the BE slope steepening in radio AGN is due to a jet associated broad-line region.

  5. Baldwin Effect and Additional BLR Component in AGN with Superluminal Jets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Víctor Manuel Patiño Álvarez

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available We study the Baldwin Effect (BE in 96 core-jet blazars with optical and ultraviolet spectroscopic data from a radio-loud AGN sample obtained from the MOJAVE 2cm survey. A statistical analysis is presented of the equivalent widths W_lambda of emission lines H beta 4861, Mg II 2798, C IV 1549, and continuum luminosities at 5100, 3000, and 1350 angstroms. The BE is found statistically significant (with confidence level c.l. > 95% in H beta and C IV emission lines, while for Mg II the trend is slightly less significant (c.l. = 94.5%. The slopes of the BE in the studied samples for H beta and Mg II are found steeper and with statistically significant difference than those of a comparison radio-quiet sample. We present simulations of the expected BE slopes produced by the contribution to the total continuum of the non-thermal boosted emission from the relativistic jet, and by variability of the continuum components. We find that the slopes of the BE between radio-quiet and radio-loud AGN should not be different, under the assumption that the broad line is only being emitted by the canonical broad line region around the black hole. We discuss that the BE slope steepening in radio AGN is due to a jet associated broad-line region.

  6. Suzaku View of the Swift/BAT Active Galactic Nuclei. V. Torus Structure of Two Luminous Radio-Loud Active Galactic Nuclei (3C 206 and PKS 0707-35)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tazaki, Fumie; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Terashima, Yuichi; Mushotzky, Richard F.; Tombesi, Francesco

    2013-01-01

    We present the results from broadband X-ray spectral analysis of 3C 206 and PKS 0707-35 with Suzaku and Swift/BAT, two of the most luminous unobscured and obscured radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with hard X-ray luminosities of 10(sup 45.5) erg per second and 10(sup 44.9) erg per second (14-195 keV), respectively. Based on the radio core luminosity, we estimate that the X-ray spectrum of 3C 206 contains a significant (60% in the 14-195 keV band) contribution from the jet, while it is negligible in PKS 0707-35.We can successfully model the spectra with the jet component (for 3C 206), the transmitted emission, and two reflection components from the torus and the accretion disk. The reflection strengths from the torus are found to be R(sub torus)(=Omega/2pi) = 0.29 +/- 0.18 and 0.41 +/- 0.18 for 3C 206 and PKS 0707-35, respectively, which are smaller than those in typical Seyfert galaxies. Utilizing the torus model by Ikeda et al., we quantify the relation between the half-opening angle of a torus (theta(sub oa)) and the equivalent width of an iron-K line. The observed equivalent width of 3C 206, less than 71 eV, constrains the column density in the equatorial plane to N(sup eq)(sub H) lesst han 10(sup 23) per square centimeter, or the half-opening angle to theta(sub oa) greater than 80 deg. if N(sup eq)(sub H) = 10(sup 24) per square centimeter is assumed. That of PKS 0707-35, 72 +/- 36 eV, is consistent with N(sup eq)(sub H) 10(sup 23) per square centimeter. Our results suggest that the tori in luminous radio-loud AGNs are only poorly developed. The trend is similar to that seen in radio-quiet AGNs, implying that the torus structure is not different between AGNs with jets and without jets.

  7. RADIO PROPERTIES OF THE BAT AGNs: THE FIR–RADIO RELATION, THE FUNDAMENTAL PLANE, AND THE MAIN SEQUENCE OF STAR FORMATION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smith, Krista Lynne; Mushotzky, Richard F.; Vogel, Stuart; Shimizu, Thomas T. [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Miller, Neal, E-mail: klsmith@astro.umd.edu [Department of Mathematics and Physics, Stevenson University, Stevenson, MD 21117 (United States)

    2016-12-01

    We conducted 22 GHz 1″ JVLA imaging of 70 radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from the Swift -BAT survey. We find radio cores in all but three objects. The radio morphologies of the sample fall into three groups: compact and core-dominated, extended, and jet-like. We spatially decompose each image into core flux and extended flux, and compare the extended radio emission with that predicted from previous Herschel observations using the canonical FIR–radio relation. After removing the AGN contribution to the FIR and radio flux densities, we find that the relation holds remarkably well despite the potentially different star formation physics in the circumnuclear environment. We also compare our core radio flux densities with predictions of coronal models and scale-invariant jet models for the origin of radio emission in radio-quiet AGNs, and find general consistency with both models. However, we find that the L {sub R}/ L {sub X} relation does not distinguish between star formation and non-relativistic AGN-driven outflows as the origin of radio emission in radio-quiet AGNs. Finally, we examine where objects with different radio morphologies fall in relation to the main sequence (MS) of star formation, and conclude that those AGNs that fall below the MS, as X-ray selected AGNs have been found to do, have core-dominated or jet-like 22 GHz morphologies.

  8. Average Heating Rate of Hot Atmospheres in Distant Galaxy Clusters by Radio AGN: Evidence for Continuous AGN Heating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Cheng-Jiun; McNamara, B.; Nulsen, P.; Schaffer, R.

    2011-09-01

    X-ray observations of nearby clusters and galaxies have shown that energetic feedback from AGN is heating hot atmospheres and is probably the principal agent that is offsetting cooling flows. Here we examine AGN heating in distant X-ray clusters by cross correlating clusters selected from the 400 Square Degree X-ray Cluster survey with radio sources in the NRAO VLA Sky Survey. The jet power for each radio source was determined using scaling relations between radio power and cavity power determined for nearby clusters, groups, and galaxies with atmospheres containing X-ray cavities. Roughly 30% of the clusters show radio emission above a flux threshold of 3 mJy within the central 250 kpc that is presumably associated with the brightest cluster galaxy. We find no significant correlation between radio power, hence jet power, and the X-ray luminosities of clusters in redshift range 0.1 -- 0.6. The detection frequency of radio AGN is inconsistent with the presence of strong cooling flows in 400SD, but cannot rule out the presence of weak cooling flows. The average jet power of central radio AGN is approximately 2 10^{44} erg/s. The jet power corresponds to an average heating of approximately 0.2 keV/particle for gas within R_500. Assuming the current AGN heating rate remained constant out to redshifts of about 2, these figures would rise by a factor of two. Our results show that the integrated energy injected from radio AGN outbursts in clusters is statistically significant compared to the excess entropy in hot atmospheres that is required for the breaking of self-similarity in cluster scaling relations. It is not clear that central AGN in 400SD clusters are maintained by a self-regulated feedback loop at the base of a cooling flow. However, they may play a significant role in preventing the development of strong cooling flows at early epochs.

  9. Radio-loudness in black hole transients: evidence for an inclination effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Motta, S. E.; Casella, P.; Fender, R.

    2018-06-01

    Accreting stellar-mass black holes appear to populate two branches in a radio:X-ray luminosity plane. We have investigated the X-ray variability properties of a large number of black hole low-mass X-ray binaries, with the aim of unveiling the physical reasons underlying the radio-loud/radio-quiet nature of these sources, in the context of the known accretion-ejection connection. A reconsideration of the available radio and X-ray data from a sample of black hole X-ray binaries confirms that being radio-quiet is the more normal mode of behaviour for black hole binaries. In the light of this we chose to test, once more, the hypothesis that radio loudness could be a consequence of the inclination of the X-ray binary. We compared the slope of the `hard-line' (an approximately linear correlation between X-ray count rate and rms variability, visible in the hard states of active black holes), the orbital inclination, and the radio-nature of the sources of our sample. We found that high-inclination objects show steeper hard-lines than low-inclination objects, and tend to display a radio-quiet nature (with the only exception of V404 Cyg), as opposed to low-inclination objects, which appear to be radio-loud(er). While in need of further confirmation, our results suggest that - contrary to what has been believed for years - the radio-loud/quiet nature of black-hole low mass X-ray binaries might be an inclination effect, rather than an intrinsic source property. This would solve an important issue in the context of the inflow-outflow connection, thus providing significant constraints to the models for the launch of hard-state compact jets.

  10. THE RADIO PROPERTIES OF RADIO-LOUD NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXIES ON PARSEC SCALES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gu, Minfeng; Chen, Yongjun; Shen, Zhiqiang [Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200030 (China); Komossa, S.; Zensus, J. A. [Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Yuan, Weimin [Key Lab for Space Astronomy and Technology, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Wajima, Kiyoaki [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeokdae-ro, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Zhou, Hongyan, E-mail: gumf@shao.ac.cn [Polar Research Institute of China, 451 Jinqiao Road, Shanghai 200136 (China)

    2015-11-15

    We present the detection of the compact radio structures of 14 radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies from Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations at 5 GHz performed in 2013. While 50% of the sources of our sample show a compact core only, the remaining 50% exhibit a core-jet structure. The measured brightness temperatures of the cores range from 10{sup 8.4} to 10{sup 11.4} K with a median value of 10{sup 10.1} K, indicating that the radio emission is from non-thermal jets, and that, likely, most sources are not strongly beamed, thus implying a low jet speed in these radio-loud NLS1 galaxies. In combination with archival data taken at multiple frequencies, we find that seven sources show flat or even inverted radio spectra, while steep spectra are revealed in the remaining seven objects. Although all of these sources are very radio-loud with R > 100, their jet properties are diverse in terms of their milliarcsecond (mas) scale (parsec scale) morphology and their overall radio spectral shape. The evidence for slow jet speeds (i.e., less relativistic jets), in combination with the low kinetic/radio power, may offer an explanation for the compact VLBA radio structure in most sources. The mildly relativistic jets in these high accretion rate systems are consistent with a scenario where jets are accelerated from the hot corona above the disk by the magnetic field and the radiation force of the accretion disk. Alternatively, a low jet bulk velocity can be explained by low spin in the Blandford–Znajek mechanism.

  11. The Curious Molecular Gas Conditions in a z=2.6 Radio-loud Quasar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharon, Chelsea; Riechers, Dominik A.; Kuk Leung, Tsz; Weiss, Axel; Walter, Fabian; Carilli, Chris; Kraiburg Knudsen, Kirsten; Hodge, Jacqueline

    2018-01-01

    Theoretical work suggests that AGN play an important role in quenching star formation in massive galaxies. In addition to molecular outflows observed in the local universe, emission from very high-J CO rotational transitions has been one of the key pieces of evidence for AGN directly affecting the molecular gas reservoirs that fuel star formation. However, very few observations of Jupper>9 transitions exist for galaxies in the early universe. Here we will present the peculiar molecular gas conditions in MG 0414+0534 (MG 0414 hereafter), one of the few high-z galaxies with very high-J CO detections. MG 0414 is a strongly lensed IR-bright radio-loud quasar with broad Hα emission at z=2.6390. We recently confirmed the CO(3–2) detection from Barvainis et al. (1998), but were unable to detect the CO(1–0) line. The 3σ lower limit on the 3–2/1–0 line ratio (in units of brightness temperature) is r3,1>5.72, which is significantly higher than the r3,1≤1 typical for thermalized optically thick emission in other z˜2–3 AGN host galaxies. In addition, the CO(11–10) line was detected to high significance using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, and the CO(11–10) line FWHM is nearly double that of the CO(3–2) line. We will discuss possible explanations for the peculiar line ratios in MG 0414 (such as optically thin emission, molecular outflows, and differential lensing) and what the origin of these ratios imply for molecular gas observations of other high-z AGN host galaxies.

  12. The Origin of the Infrared Emission in Radio Galaxies : III. Analysis of 3CRR Objects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dicken, D.; Tadhunter, C.; Axon, D.; Robinson, A.; Morganti, R.; Kharb, P.

    2010-01-01

    We present Spitzer photometric data for a complete sample of 19 low-redshift (z <0.1) 3CRR radio galaxies as part of our efforts to understand the origin of the prodigious mid-to far-infrared (MFIR) emission from radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our results show a correlation between AGN

  13. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RADIO-LOUD AND RADIO-QUIET γ -RAY PULSARS AS REVEALED BY FERMI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hui, C. Y.; Lee, Jongsu [Department of Astronomy and Space Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Takata, J. [Institute of Particle physics and Astronomy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China); Ng, C. W.; Cheng, K. S., E-mail: cyhui@cnu.ac.kr, E-mail: takata@hust.edu.cn [Department of Physics, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road (Hong Kong)

    2017-01-10

    By comparing the properties of non-recycled radio-loud γ -ray pulsars and radio-quiet γ -ray pulsars, we have searched for the differences between these two populations. We found that the γ -ray spectral curvature of radio-quiet pulsars can be larger than that of radio-loud pulsars. Based on the full sample of non-recycled γ -ray pulsars, their distributions of the magnetic field strength at the light cylinder are also found to be different. We note that this might result from an observational bias. By reexamining the previously reported difference of γ -ray-to-X-ray flux ratios, we found that the significance can be hampered by their statistical uncertainties. In the context of the outer gap model, we discuss the expected properties of these two populations and compare with the possible differences that are identified in our analysis.

  14. A Search for Radio-loud Quasars within the Epoch of Reionization

    OpenAIRE

    Jarvis, Matt J.; Rawlings, Steve; Barrio, F. Eugenio; Hill, Gary J.; Bauer, Amanda; Croft, Steve

    2003-01-01

    The Universe became fully reionized, and observable optically, at a time corresponding to redshift z~6.5, so it is only by studying the HI and molecular absorption lines against higher-redshift, radio-loud sources that one can hope to make detailed studies of the earliest stages of galaxy formation. At present no targets for such studies are known. In these proceedings we describe a survey which is underway to find radio-loud quasars at z > 6.5.

  15. KILOPARSEC-SCALE RADIO STRUCTURES IN NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Doi, Akihiro; Kino, Motoki [Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuou-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210 (Japan); Nagira, Hiroshi [Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi 753-8512 (Japan); Kawakatu, Nozomu [Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571 (Japan); Nagai, Hiroshi [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Asada, Keiichi, E-mail: akihiro.doi@vsop.isas.jaxa.jp [Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China)

    2012-11-20

    We report the finding of kiloparsec (kpc)-scale radio structures in three radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies from the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-centimeters of the Very Large Array, which increases the number of known radio-loud NLS1s with kpc-scale structures to six, including two {gamma}-ray-emitting NLS1s (PMN J0948+0022 and 1H 0323+342) detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The detection rate of extended radio emissions in NLS1s is lower than that in broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with a statistical significance. We found both core-dominated (blazar-like) and lobe-dominated (radio-galaxy-like) radio structures in these six NLS1s, which can be understood in the framework of the unified scheme of radio-loud AGNs that considers radio galaxies as non-beamed parent populations of blazars. Five of the six NLS1s have (1) extended radio luminosities suggesting jet kinetic powers of {approx}> 10{sup 44} erg s{sup -1}, which is sufficient to make jets escape from hosts' dense environments; (2) black holes of {approx}> 10{sup 7} M {sub Sun }, which can generate the necessary jet powers from near-Eddington mass accretion; and (3) two-sided radio structures at kpc scales, requiring expansion rates of {approx}0.01c-0.3c and kinematic ages of {approx}> 10{sup 7} years. On the other hand, most typical NLS1s would be driven by black holes of {approx}< 10{sup 7} M {sub Sun} in a limited lifetime of {approx}10{sup 7} years. Hence, the kpc-scale radio structures may originate in a small window of opportunity during the final stage of the NLS1 phase just before growing into broad-line AGNs.

  16. Toward a New Paradigm for the Unification of Radio Loud AGN and its Connection to Accretion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Georganpoulos, Markos; Meyer, Eileen T.; Fossati, Giovanni; Lister, Matthew L.

    2012-01-01

    We recently argued [21J that the collective properties. of radio loud active galactic nuclei point to the existence of two families of sources, one of powerful sources with single velocity jets and one of weaker jets with significant velocity gradients in the radiating plasma. These families also correspond to different accretion modes and therefore different thermal and emission line intrinsic properties: powerful sources have radiatively efficient accretion disks, while in weak sources accretion must be radiatively inefficient. Here, after we briefly review of our recent work, we present the following findings that support our unification scheme: (i) along the broken sequence of aligned objects, the jet kinetic power increases. (ii) in the powerful branch of the sequence of aligned objects the fraction of BLLs decreases with increasing jet power. (iii) for powerful sources, the fraction of BLLs increases for more un-aligned objects, as measured by the core to extended radio emission. Our results are also compatible with the possibility that a given accretion power produces jets of comparable kinetic power.

  17. DISCLOSING THE RADIO LOUDNESS DISTRIBUTION DICHOTOMY IN QUASARS: AN UNBIASED MONTE CARLO APPROACH APPLIED TO THE SDSS-FIRST QUASAR SAMPLE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Balokovic, M. [Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Smolcic, V. [Argelander-Institut fuer Astronomie, Auf dem Hugel 71, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Ivezic, Z. [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Zamorani, G. [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy); Schinnerer, E. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astronomie, Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Kelly, B. C. [Department of Physics, Broida Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States)

    2012-11-01

    We investigate the dichotomy in the radio loudness distribution of quasars by modeling their radio emission and various selection effects using a Monte Carlo approach. The existence of two physically distinct quasar populations, the radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars, is controversial and over the last decade a bimodal distribution of radio loudness of quasars has been both affirmed and disputed. We model the quasar radio luminosity distribution with simple unimodal and bimodal distribution functions. The resulting simulated samples are compared to a fiducial sample of 8300 quasars drawn from the SDSS DR7 Quasar Catalog and combined with radio observations from the FIRST survey. Our results indicate that the SDSS-FIRST sample is best described by a radio loudness distribution which consists of two components, with (12 {+-} 1)% of sources in the radio-loud component. On the other hand, the evidence for a local minimum in the loudness distribution (bimodality) is not strong and we find that previous claims for its existence were probably affected by the incompleteness of the FIRST survey close to its faint limit. We also investigate the redshift and luminosity dependence of the radio loudness distribution and find tentative evidence that at high redshift radio-loud quasars were rarer, on average louder, and exhibited a smaller range in radio loudness. In agreement with other recent work, we conclude that the SDSS-FIRST sample strongly suggests that the radio loudness distribution of quasars is not a universal function, and that more complex models than presented here are needed to fully explain available observations.

  18. DISCLOSING THE RADIO LOUDNESS DISTRIBUTION DICHOTOMY IN QUASARS: AN UNBIASED MONTE CARLO APPROACH APPLIED TO THE SDSS-FIRST QUASAR SAMPLE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baloković, M.; Smolčić, V.; Ivezić, Ž.; Zamorani, G.; Schinnerer, E.; Kelly, B. C.

    2012-01-01

    We investigate the dichotomy in the radio loudness distribution of quasars by modeling their radio emission and various selection effects using a Monte Carlo approach. The existence of two physically distinct quasar populations, the radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars, is controversial and over the last decade a bimodal distribution of radio loudness of quasars has been both affirmed and disputed. We model the quasar radio luminosity distribution with simple unimodal and bimodal distribution functions. The resulting simulated samples are compared to a fiducial sample of 8300 quasars drawn from the SDSS DR7 Quasar Catalog and combined with radio observations from the FIRST survey. Our results indicate that the SDSS-FIRST sample is best described by a radio loudness distribution which consists of two components, with (12 ± 1)% of sources in the radio-loud component. On the other hand, the evidence for a local minimum in the loudness distribution (bimodality) is not strong and we find that previous claims for its existence were probably affected by the incompleteness of the FIRST survey close to its faint limit. We also investigate the redshift and luminosity dependence of the radio loudness distribution and find tentative evidence that at high redshift radio-loud quasars were rarer, on average louder, and exhibited a smaller range in radio loudness. In agreement with other recent work, we conclude that the SDSS-FIRST sample strongly suggests that the radio loudness distribution of quasars is not a universal function, and that more complex models than presented here are needed to fully explain available observations.

  19. Optical Time-Domain and Radio Imaging Analyses of the Dynamic Hearts of AGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Krista Lynne

    Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are among the most extreme objects in the universe: galaxies with a central supermassive black hole feeding on gas from a hot accretion disk. Despite their potential as powerful tools to study topics ranging from relativity to cosmology, they remain quite mysterious. In the first portion of this thesis, we explore how an AGN may influence the formation of stars in its host galaxy. Using high-resolution 22 GHz radio imaging of an X-ray selected sample of radio-quiet AGN, we find that the far-infrared radio correlation for normal star forming galaxies remains valid within a few hundred parsecs of the central engine. Because the core flux is often spatially isolated from star formation, we can also determine that the radio emission in radio-quiet AGN is consistent with both coronal and disk-jet coupling models. Finally, we find that AGN with jet-like radio morphologies have suppressed star formation, possibly indicating ongoing feedback. The second portion of this thesis uses optical AGN light curves to study the physics of accretion. The Kepler spacecraft produces groundbreaking light curves, but its fixed field of view only contained a handful of known AGN. We conduct an X-ray survey of this field, yielding 93 unique X-ray sources identified by optical follow-up spectroscopy as a mixture of AGN and stars. For the AGN, we spectroscopically measure black hole masses and accretion rates. We then analyze a sample of 22 Kepler AGN light curves. We develop a customized pipeline for AGN science with Kepler, a necessary step since the initial data was optimized for the unique goal of exoplanet detection. The light curves display an astonishing variety of behaviors in a new regime of optical variability inaccessible with previous facilities. We find power spectral slopes inconsistent with the damped random walk model, characteristic variability timescales, correlations of variability properties with physical parameters, and bimodal flux

  20. Interstellar Scintillation and Scattering of Micro-arc-second AGN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David L. Jauncey

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The discovery of the first quasar 3C 273 led directly to the discovery of their variability at optical and radio wavelengths. We review the radio variability observations, in particular the variability found at frequencies below 1 GHz, as well as those exhibiting intra-day variability (IDV at cm wavelengths. Observations have shown that IDV arises principally from scintillation caused by scattering in the ionized interstellar medium of our Galaxy. The sensitivity of interstellar scintillation towards source angular sizes has provided a powerful tool for studying the most compact components of radio-loud AGN at microarcsecond and milliarcsecond scale resolution.

  1. Changing-Look AGNs or Short-Lived Radio Sources?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wołowska, Aleksandra [Toruń Centre for Astronomy, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń (Poland); Kunert-Bajraszewska, Magdalena; Mooley, Kunal [Centre for Astrophysical Surveys, University of Oxford, Oxford (United Kingdom); Hallinan, Gregg, E-mail: ola@astro.umk.pl [Cahill Center for Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (United States)

    2017-11-17

    The evolution of extragalactic radio sources has been a fundamental problem in the study of active galactic nuclei for many years. A standard evolutionary model has been created based on observations of a wide range of radio sources. In the general scenario of the evolution, the younger and smaller Gigahertz-Peaked Spectrum (GPS) and Compact Steep Spectrum (CSS) sources become large-scale FRI and FRII objects. However, a growing number of observations of low power radio sources suggests that the model cannot explain all their properties and there are still some aspects of the evolutionary path that remain unclear. There are indications, that some sources may be short-lived objects on timescales of 10{sup 4}–10{sup 5} years. Those objects represent a new population of active galaxies. Here, we present the discovery of several radio transient sources on timescales of 5–20 yrs, largely associated with renewed AGN (Active Galactic Nucleus) activity. These changing-look AGNs possibly represent behavior typical for many active galaxies.

  2. Facets of radio-loud AGN evolution : a LOFAR surveys perspective

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Williams, Wendy L.

    2015-01-01

    Radio observations provide a unique view of black holes in the Universe. This thesis presents low frequency radio images and uses the radio sources in those images to study the evolution of black holes and galaxies through the age of the Universe.

  3. The X-Ray Reflection Spectrum of the Radio-loud Quasar 4C 74.26

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lohfink, Anne M.; Fabian, Andrew C.; Ballantyne, David R.

    2017-01-01

    of the supermassive black hole, the presumed jet launching point, are potentially particularly valuable in illuminating the jet formation process. Here, we present the hard X-ray NuSTAR observations of the radio-loud quasar 4C 74.26 in a joint analysis with quasi-simultaneous, soft X-ray Swift observations. Our...... the three months covered by our NuSTAR campaign. This lack of variation could mean that the jet formation in this radio-loud quasar differs from what is observed in broad-line radio galaxies....

  4. A large area search for radio-loud quasars within the epoch of reionization

    OpenAIRE

    Jarvis, Matt J.; Rawlings, Steve; Barrio, F. Eugenio; Hill, Gary J.; Bauer, Amanda; Croft, Steve

    2004-01-01

    The Universe became fully reionized, and observable optically, at a time corresponding to redshift z ~ 6.5, so it is only by studying the HI and molecular absorption lines against higher-redshift, radio-loud sources that one can hope to make detailed studies of the earliest stages of galaxy formation. At present no targets for such studies are known. In these proceedings we describe a survey which is underway to find radio-loud quasars at z > 6.5, and present broad-band SEDs of our most promi...

  5. Was the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 RGB J0044+193 ever radio loud?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maccarone, T.J.; Miller-Jones, J.C.A.; Fender, R.P.; Pooley, G.G.

    2005-01-01

    We show new radio data and a re-analysis of old data for the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLSy1) galaxy RGB J0044+193. This galaxy has previously been suggested to be both radio loud, and highly variable in the radio. As most NLSy 1 galaxies are radio quiet, this was interpreted as possible evidence that

  6. The radio spectral energy distribution of infrared-faint radio sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herzog, A.; Norris, R. P.; Middelberg, E.; Seymour, N.; Spitler, L. R.; Emonts, B. H. C.; Franzen, T. M. O.; Hunstead, R.; Intema, H. T.; Marvil, J.; Parker, Q. A.; Sirothia, S. K.; Hurley-Walker, N.; Bell, M.; Bernardi, G.; Bowman, J. D.; Briggs, F.; Cappallo, R. J.; Callingham, J. R.; Deshpande, A. A.; Dwarakanath, K. S.; For, B.-Q.; Greenhill, L. J.; Hancock, P.; Hazelton, B. J.; Hindson, L.; Johnston-Hollitt, M.; Kapińska, A. D.; Kaplan, D. L.; Lenc, E.; Lonsdale, C. J.; McKinley, B.; McWhirter, S. R.; Mitchell, D. A.; Morales, M. F.; Morgan, E.; Morgan, J.; Oberoi, D.; Offringa, A.; Ord, S. M.; Prabu, T.; Procopio, P.; Udaya Shankar, N.; Srivani, K. S.; Staveley-Smith, L.; Subrahmanyan, R.; Tingay, S. J.; Wayth, R. B.; Webster, R. L.; Williams, A.; Williams, C. L.; Wu, C.; Zheng, Q.; Bannister, K. W.; Chippendale, A. P.; Harvey-Smith, L.; Heywood, I.; Indermuehle, B.; Popping, A.; Sault, R. J.; Whiting, M. T.

    2016-10-01

    Context. Infrared-faint radio sources (IFRS) are a class of radio-loud (RL) active galactic nuclei (AGN) at high redshifts (z ≥ 1.7) that are characterised by their relative infrared faintness, resulting in enormous radio-to-infrared flux density ratios of up to several thousand. Aims: Because of their optical and infrared faintness, it is very challenging to study IFRS at these wavelengths. However, IFRS are relatively bright in the radio regime with 1.4 GHz flux densities of a few to a few tens of mJy. Therefore, the radio regime is the most promising wavelength regime in which to constrain their nature. We aim to test the hypothesis that IFRS are young AGN, particularly GHz peaked-spectrum (GPS) and compact steep-spectrum (CSS) sources that have a low frequency turnover. Methods: We use the rich radio data set available for the Australia Telescope Large Area Survey fields, covering the frequency range between 150 MHz and 34 GHz with up to 19 wavebands from different telescopes, and build radio spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for 34 IFRS. We then study the radio properties of this class of object with respect to turnover, spectral index, and behaviour towards higher frequencies. We also present the highest-frequency radio observations of an IFRS, observed with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer at 105 GHz, and model the multi-wavelength and radio-far-infrared SED of this source. Results: We find IFRS usually follow single power laws down to observed frequencies of around 150 MHz. Mostly, the radio SEDs are steep (α IFRS show statistically significantly steeper radio SEDs than the broader RL AGN population. Our analysis reveals that the fractions of GPS and CSS sources in the population of IFRS are consistent with the fractions in the broader RL AGN population. We find that at least % of IFRS contain young AGN, although the fraction might be significantly higher as suggested by the steep SEDs and the compact morphology of IFRS. The detailed multi

  7. High-Sensitivity AGN Polarimetry at Sub-Millimeter Wavelengths

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivan Martí-Vidal

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The innermost regions of radio loud Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN jets are heavily affected by synchrotron self-absorption, due to the strong magnetic fields and high particle densities in these extreme zones. The only way to overcome this absorption is to observe at sub-millimeter wavelengths, although polarimetric observations at such frequencies have so far been limited by sensitivity and calibration accuracy. However, new generation instruments such as the Atacama Large mm/sub-mm Array (ALMA overcome these limitations and are starting to deliver revolutionary results in the observational studies of AGN polarimetry. Here we present an overview of our state-of-the-art interferometric mm/sub-mm polarization observations of AGN jets with ALMA (in particular, the gravitationally-lensed sources PKS 1830−211 and B0218+359, which allow us to probe the magneto-ionic conditions at the regions closest to the central black holes.

  8. MAPPING THE POLARIZATION OF THE RADIO-LOUD Ly α NEBULA B3 J2330+3927

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    You, Chang; Zabludoff, Ann; Smith, Paul; Jannuzi, Buell; Yang, Yujin; Kim, Eunchong; Lee, Myung Gyoon; Prescott, Moire K. M.; Matsuda, Yuichi

    2017-01-01

    Ly α nebulae, or “Ly α blobs,” are extended (up to ∼100 kpc), bright (L Lyα  ≳ 10 43 erg s −1 ) clouds of Ly α emitting gas that tend to lie in overdense regions at z  ∼ 2–5. The origin of the Ly α emission remains unknown, but recent theoretical work suggests that measuring the polarization might discriminate among powering mechanisms. Here we present the first narrowband imaging polarimetry of a radio-loud Ly α nebula, B3 J2330+3927, at z = 3.09, with an embedded active galactic nucleus (AGN). The AGN lies near the blob’s Ly α emission peak, and its radio lobes align roughly with the blob’s major axis. With the SPOL polarimeter on the 6.5 m MMT telescope, we map the total (Ly α + continuum) polarization in a grid of circular apertures of a radius of 0.″6 (4.4 kpc), detecting a significant (>2 σ ) polarization fraction P % in nine apertures and achieving strong upper limits (as low as 2%) elsewhere. P % increases from <2% at ∼5 kpc from the blob center to 17% at ∼15–25 kpc. The detections are distributed asymmetrically, roughly along the nebula’s major axis. The polarization angles θ are mostly perpendicular to this axis. Comparing the Ly α flux to that of the continuum and conservatively assuming that the continuum is highly polarized (20%–100%) and aligned with the total polarization, we place lower limits on the polarization of the Ly α emission P %,Lyα ranging from no significant polarization at ∼5 kpc from the blob center to 3%–17% at 10–25 kpc. Like the total polarization, the Ly α polarization detections occur more often along the blob’s major axis.

  9. Energetics of the molecular gas in the H2 luminous radio galaxy 3C 326: Evidence for negative AGN feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nesvadba, N. P. H.; Boulanger, F.; Salomé, P.; Guillard, P.; Lehnert, M. D.; Ogle, P.; Appleton, P.; Falgarone, E.; Pineau Des Forets, G.

    2010-10-01

    We present a detailed analysis of the gas conditions in the H2 luminous radio galaxy 3C 326 N at z ~ 0.1, which has a low star-formation rate (SFR ~ 0.07 M⊙ yr-1) in spite of a gas surface density similar to those in starburst galaxies. Its star-formation efficiency is likely a factor ~10-50 lower than those of ordinary star-forming galaxies. Combining new IRAM CO emission-line interferometry with existing Spitzer mid-infrared spectroscopy, we find that the luminosity ratio of CO and pure rotational H2 line emission is factors 10-100 lower than what is usually found. This suggests that most of the molecular gas is warm. The Na D absorption-line profile of 3C 326 N in the optical suggests an outflow with a terminal velocity of ~-1800 km s-1 and a mass outflow rate of 30-40 M⊙ yr-1, which cannot be explained by star formation. The mechanical power implied by the wind, of order 1043 erg s-1, is comparable to the bolometric luminosity of the emission lines of ionized and molecular gas. To explain these observations, we propose a scenario where a small fraction of the mechanical energy of the radio jet is deposited in the interstellar medium of 3C 326 N, which powers the outflow, and the line emission through a mass, momentum and energy exchange between the different gas phases of the ISM. Dissipation times are of order 107-8 yrs, similar or greater than the typical jet lifetime. Small ratios of CO and PAH surface brightnesses in another 7 H2 luminous radio galaxies suggest that a similar form of AGN feedback could be lowering star-formation efficiencies in these galaxies in a similar way. The local demographics of radio-loud AGN suggests that secular gas cooling in massive early-type galaxies of ≥1011 M⊙ could generally be regulated through a fundamentally similar form of “maintenance-phase” AGN feedback. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer.

  10. SDSS J013127.34–032100.1: A NEWLY DISCOVERED RADIO-LOUD QUASAR AT z = 5.18 WITH EXTREMELY HIGH LUMINOSITY

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yi, Wei-Min; Bai, Jin-Ming; Zhang, Ju-jia; Wang, Fang; Wang, Jian-Guo; Fan, Yu-Feng; Chang, Liang; Wang, Chuan-Jun; Lun, Bao-Li [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650011 (China); Wang, Feige; Wu, Xue-Bing; Yang, Jinyi; Ho, Luis C.; Zuo, Wenwen; Yang, Qian; Ai, Yanli [Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Fan, Xiaohui [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0065 (United States); Brandt, William N. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Kim, Minjin [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Wang, Ran [Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); and others

    2014-11-10

    Very few of the z > 5 quasars discovered to date have been radio-loud, with radio-to-optical flux ratios (radio-loudness parameters) higher than 10. Here we report the discovery of an optically luminous radio-loud quasar, SDSS J013127.34–032100.1 (J0131–0321 in short), at z = 5.18 ± 0.01 using the Lijiang 2.4 m and Magellan telescopes. J0131–0321 has a spectral energy distribution consistent with that of radio-loud quasars. With an i-band magnitude of 18.47 and a radio flux density of 33 mJy, its radio-loudness parameter is ∼100. The optical and near-infrared spectra taken by Magellan enable us to estimate its bolometric luminosity to be L {sub bol} ∼ 1.1 × 10{sup 48} erg s{sup –1}, approximately 4.5 times greater than that of the most distant quasar known to date. The black hole mass of J0131–0321 is estimated to be 2.7 × 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉}, with an uncertainty up to 0.4 dex. Detailed physical properties of this high-redshift, radio-loud, potentially super-Eddington quasar can be probed in the future with more dedicated and intensive follow-up observations using multi-wavelength facilities.

  11. Radio-loud magnetars as detectors for axions and axion-like particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guendelman, E.I.; Chelouche, D.

    2011-01-01

    We show that, by studying the arrival times of radio pulses from highly-magnetized transient beamed sources, it may be possible to detect light pseudo-scalar particles, such as axions and axion-like particles, whose existence could have considerable implications for the strong-CP problem of QCD as well as the dark matter problem in cosmology. Specifically, such light bosons may be detected with a much greater sensitivity, over a broad particle mass range, than is currently achievable by terrestrial experiments, and using indirect astrophysical considerations. The observable effect was discussed in Chelouche & Guendelman (2009), and is akin to the Stern-Gerlach experiment: the splitting of a photon beam naturally arises when finite coupling exists between the electro-magnetic field and the axion field. The splitting angle of the light beams linearly depends on the photon wavelength, the size of the magnetized region, and the magnetic field gradient in the transverse direction to the propagation direction of the photons. If radio emission in radio-loud magnetars is beamed and originates in regions with strong magnetic field gradients, then splitting of individual pulses may be detectable. We quantify the effect for a simplified model for magnetars, and search for radio beam splitting in the 2GHz radio light curves of the radio loud magnetar XTEJ1810-197. (author)

  12. Long-Term Monitoring of the Broad-Line Region Properties in a Selected Sample of AGN

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ilić, Dragana [Department of Astronomy, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Belgrade, Belgrade (Serbia); Shapovalova, Alla I. [Special Astrophysical Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhnii Arkhyz (Russian Federation); Popović, Luka Č. [Department of Astronomy, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Belgrade, Belgrade (Serbia); Astronomical Observatory, Belgrade (Serbia); Chavushyan, Vahram [Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica, Puebla (Mexico); Burenkov, Alexander N. [Special Astrophysical Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhnii Arkhyz (Russian Federation); Kollatschny, Wolfram [Institut fuer Astrophysik, Universitaet Goettingen, Göttingen (Germany); Kovačević, Andjelka [Department of Astronomy, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Belgrade, Belgrade (Serbia); Marčeta-Mandić, Sladjana [Department of Astronomy, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Belgrade, Belgrade (Serbia); Astronomical Observatory, Belgrade (Serbia); Rakić, Nemanja [Department of Astronomy, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Belgrade, Belgrade (Serbia); Faculty of Science, University of Banjaluka, Banjaluka, Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina); La Mura, Giovanni; Rafanelli, Piero, E-mail: dilic@math.rs [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padova, Padova (Italy)

    2017-09-14

    We present the results of the long-term optical monitoring campaign of active galactic nuclei (AGN) coordinated by the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Science. This campaign has produced a remarkable set of optical spectra, since we have monitored for several decades different types of broad-line (type 1) AGN, from a Seyfert 1, double-peaked line, radio loud and radio quiet AGN, to a supermassive binary black hole candidate. Our analysis of the properties of the broad line region (BLR) of these objects is based on the variability of the broad emission lines. We hereby give a comparative review of the variability properties of the broad emission lines and the BLR of seven different type 1 AGNs, emphasizing some important results, such as the variability rate, the BLR geometry, and the presence of the intrinsic Baldwin effect. We are discussing the difference and similarity in the continuum and emission line variability, focusing on what is the impact of our results to the supermassive black hole mass determination from the BLR properties.

  13. Long-Term Monitoring of the Broad-Line Region Properties in a Selected Sample of AGN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dragana Ilić

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available We present the results of the long-term optical monitoring campaign of active galactic nuclei (AGN coordinated by the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Science. This campaign has produced a remarkable set of optical spectra, since we have monitored for several decades different types of broad-line (type 1 AGN, from a Seyfert 1, double-peaked line, radio loud and radio quiet AGN, to a supermassive binary black hole candidate. Our analysis of the properties of the broad line region (BLR of these objects is based on the variability of the broad emission lines. We hereby give a comparative review of the variability properties of the broad emission lines and the BLR of seven different type 1 AGNs, emphasizing some important results, such as the variability rate, the BLR geometry, and the presence of the intrinsic Baldwin effect. We are discussing the difference and similarity in the continuum and emission line variability, focusing on what is the impact of our results to the supermassive black hole mass determination from the BLR properties.

  14. The three-dimensional properties and energetics of radio-jet-driven outflows

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shih, Hsin-Yi; Stockton, Alan, E-mail: hsshih@ifa.hawaii.edu, E-mail: stockton@ifa.hawaii.edu [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai' i 2680 Woodlawn Dr, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)

    2014-05-01

    Extended emission-line regions (EELRs), found around radio-loud sources, are likely outflows driven by one form of powerful active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback mechanism. We seek to constrain the three-dimensional gas properties and the outflow energetics of the EELRs in this study. We used an integral field unit to observe EELRs around two samples of radio-loud AGNs with similar radio properties, but different orientations: a sample of quasars and a sample of radio galaxies. A morphological comparison suggests a scenario where the three-dimensional EELR gas distribution follows rough biconical shapes with wide opening angles. The average extent of the EELRs is ∼18.5 kpc. The estimated average mass of the EELRs, with reasonable assumptions for gas densities, is ∼3 × 10{sup 8} M {sub ☉}, and the average mass outflow rate is ∼30 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1}. The EELRs around quasars and radio galaxies share similar kinematic properties. Both samples have velocity structures that display a range of complexities, they do not appear to correlate with the jet orientations, and both span a similar range of velocity dispersions. Around 30% of the detected EELRs show large-scale rotational motions, which may have originated from recent mergers involving gas-rich disk galaxies.

  15. Automated cross-identifying radio to infrared surveys using the LRPY algorithm: a case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weston, S. D.; Seymour, N.; Gulyaev, S.; Norris, R. P.; Banfield, J.; Vaccari, M.; Hopkins, A. M.; Franzen, T. M. O.

    2018-02-01

    Cross-identifying complex radio sources with optical or infra red (IR) counterparts in surveys such as the Australia Telescope Large Area Survey (ATLAS) has traditionally been performed manually. However, with new surveys from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder detecting many tens of millions of radio sources, such an approach is no longer feasible. This paper presents new software (LRPY - Likelihood Ratio in PYTHON) to automate the process of cross-identifying radio sources with catalogues at other wavelengths. LRPY implements the likelihood ratio (LR) technique with a modification to account for two galaxies contributing to a sole measured radio component. We demonstrate LRPY by applying it to ATLAS DR3 and a Spitzer-based multiwavelength fusion catalogue, identifying 3848 matched sources via our LR-based selection criteria. A subset of 1987 sources have flux density values for all IRAC bands which allow us to use criteria to distinguish between active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and star-forming galaxies (SFG). We find that 936 radio sources ( ≈ 47 per cent) meet both of the Lacy and Stern AGN selection criteria. Of the matched sources, 295 have spectroscopic redshifts and we examine the radio to IR flux ratio versus redshift, proposing an AGN selection criterion below the Elvis radio-loud AGN limit for this dataset. Taking the union of all three AGNs selection criteria we identify 956 as AGNs ( ≈ 48 per cent). From this dataset, we find a decreasing fraction of AGNs with lower radio flux densities consistent with other results in the literature.

  16. Short-Term Variability and Power Spectral Density Analysis of the Radio-Loud Active Galactic Nucleus 3C 390.3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gliozzi, Mario; Papadakis, Iossif E.; Eracleous, Michael; Sambruna, Rita M.; Ballantyne, David R.; Braito, Valentina; Reeves, James N.

    2009-09-01

    We investigate the short-term variability properties and the power spectral density (PSD) of the broad-line radio galaxy (BLRG) 3C 390.3 using observations made by XMM-Newton, RXTE, and Suzaku on several occasions between 2004 October and 2006 December. The main aim of this work is to derive model-independent constraints on the origin of the X-ray emission and on the nature of the central engine in 3C 390.3. On timescales of the order of few hours, probed by uninterrupted XMM-Newton light curves, the flux of 3C 390.3 is consistent with being constant in all energy bands. On longer timescales, probed by the 2-day RXTE and Suzaku observations, the flux variability becomes significant. The latter observation confirms that the spectral variability behavior of 3C 390.3 is consistent with the spectral evolution observed in (radio-quiet) Seyfert galaxies: the spectrum softens as the source brightens. The correlated variability between soft and hard X-rays, observed during the Suzaku exposure and between the two XMM-Newton pointings, taken 1 week apart, argues against scenarios characterized by the presence of two distinct variable components in the 0.5-10 keV X-ray band. A detailed PSD analysis carried out over five decades in frequency suggests the presence of a break at T br = 43+34 -25 days at a 92% confidence level. This is the second tentative detection of a PSD break in a radio-loud, non-jet dominated active galactic nucleus (AGN), after the BLRG 3C 120, and appears to be in general agreement with the relation between T br, M BH, and L bol, followed by Seyfert galaxies. Our results indicate that the X-ray variability properties of 3C 390.3 are broadly consistent with those of radio-quiet AGN, suggesting that the X-ray emission mechanism in 3C 390.3 is similar to that of nearby Seyfert galaxies without any significant contribution from a jet component.

  17. SHORT-TERM VARIABILITY AND POWER SPECTRAL DENSITY ANALYSIS OF THE RADIO-LOUD ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS 3C 390.3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gliozzi, Mario; Papadakis, Iossif E.; Eracleous, Michael; Sambruna, Rita M.; Ballantyne, David R.; Braito, Valentina; Reeves, James N.

    2009-01-01

    We investigate the short-term variability properties and the power spectral density (PSD) of the broad-line radio galaxy (BLRG) 3C 390.3 using observations made by XMM-Newton, RXTE, and Suzaku on several occasions between 2004 October and 2006 December. The main aim of this work is to derive model-independent constraints on the origin of the X-ray emission and on the nature of the central engine in 3C 390.3. On timescales of the order of few hours, probed by uninterrupted XMM-Newton light curves, the flux of 3C 390.3 is consistent with being constant in all energy bands. On longer timescales, probed by the 2-day RXTE and Suzaku observations, the flux variability becomes significant. The latter observation confirms that the spectral variability behavior of 3C 390.3 is consistent with the spectral evolution observed in (radio-quiet) Seyfert galaxies: the spectrum softens as the source brightens. The correlated variability between soft and hard X-rays, observed during the Suzaku exposure and between the two XMM-Newton pointings, taken 1 week apart, argues against scenarios characterized by the presence of two distinct variable components in the 0.5-10 keV X-ray band. A detailed PSD analysis carried out over five decades in frequency suggests the presence of a break at T br = 43 +34 -25 days at a 92% confidence level. This is the second tentative detection of a PSD break in a radio-loud, non-jet dominated active galactic nucleus (AGN), after the BLRG 3C 120, and appears to be in general agreement with the relation between T br , M BH , and L bol , followed by Seyfert galaxies. Our results indicate that the X-ray variability properties of 3C 390.3 are broadly consistent with those of radio-quiet AGN, suggesting that the X-ray emission mechanism in 3C 390.3 is similar to that of nearby Seyfert galaxies without any significant contribution from a jet component.

  18. INTERSTELLAR SCINTILLATION AND THE RADIO COUNTERPART OF THE FAST RADIO BURST FRB 150418

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akiyama, Kazunori; Johnson, Michael D.

    2016-01-01

    Keane et al. have recently reported the discovery of a new fast radio burst (FRB), FRB 150418, with a promising radio counterpart at 5.5 and 7.5 GHz—a rapidly decaying source, falling from 200–300 μ Jy to 100 μ Jy on timescales of ∼6 days. This transient source may be associated with an elliptical galaxy at redshift z = 0.492, providing the first firm spectroscopic redshift for an FRB and the ability to estimate the density of baryons in the intergalactic medium via the combination of known redshift and radio dispersion of the FRB. An alternative explanation, first suggested by Williams and Berger, is that the identified counterpart may instead be a compact active galactic nucleus (AGN). The putative counterpart’s variation may then instead be extrinsic, caused by refractive scintillation in the ionized interstellar medium of the Milky Way, which would invalidate the association with FRB 150418. We examine this latter explanation in detail and show that the reported observations are consistent with scintillating radio emission from the core of a radio-loud AGN having a brightness temperature T _b ≳ 10"9 K. Using numerical simulations of the expected scattering for the line of sight to FRB 150418, we provide example images and light curves of such an AGN at 5.5 and 7.5 GHz. These results can be compared with continued radio monitoring to conclusively determine the importance of scintillation for the observed radio variability, and they show that scintillation is a critical consideration for continued searches for FRB counterparts at radio wavelengths.

  19. THE WISE BLAZAR-LIKE RADIO-LOUD SOURCES: AN ALL-SKY CATALOG OF CANDIDATE γ-RAY BLAZARS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    D' Abrusco, R.; Paggi, A.; Smith, H. A. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Massaro, F. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Torino, via Pietro Giuria 1, I-10125 Torino (Italy); Masetti, N. [INAF/IASF di Bologna, via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna (Italy); Landoni, M. [INAF/Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via E. Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (Italy); Tosti, G. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Perugia, I-06123 Perugia (Italy)

    2014-11-01

    We present a catalog of radio-loud candidate γ-ray emitting blazars with WISE mid-infrared colors similar to the colors of confirmed γ-ray blazars. The catalog is assembled from WISE sources detected in all four WISE filters, with colors compatible with the three-dimensional locus of the WISE γ-ray emitting blazars, and which can be spatially cross-matched with radio sources from one of the three radio surveys: NVSS, FIRST, and/or SUMSS. Our initial WISE selection uses a slightly modified version of previously successful algorithms. We then select only the radio-loud sources using a measure of the radio-to-IR flux, the q {sub 22} parameter, which is analogous to the q {sub 24} parameter known in the literature but which instead uses the WISE band-four flux at 22 μm. Our final catalog contains 7855 sources classified as BL Lacs, FSRQs, or mixed candidate blazars; 1295 of these sources can be spatially re-associated as confirmed blazars. We describe the properties of the final catalog of WISE blazar-like radio-loud sources and consider possible contaminants. Finally, we discuss why this large catalog of candidate γ-ray emitting blazars represents a new and useful resource to address the problem of finding low-energy counterparts to currently unidentified high-energy sources.

  20. The role of AGN feedback in galaxy evolution at high-redshift

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Collet, Cedric

    2014-01-01

    There is growing evidence that supermassive black holes may play a crucial role for galaxy evolution, in particular during the formation of massive galaxies at high redshift (z ≅ 2 - 3). Our work focuses on quantifying the effects of jets of radiogalaxies and of large bolometric luminosities of quasars on the interstellar gas in their host galaxies. To this end, we studied the kinematics of the ionized gas in 12 moderately powerful radio galaxies and 11 quasars (6 radio-loud and 5 radio-quiet) at high redshifts with rest-frame optical imaging spectroscopy obtained at the VLT with SINFONI. We searched for outflows and other signatures of feedback from the supermassive black holes in the centers of these galaxies to evaluate if the AGN may plausibly quench star formation. In our sample of moderately powerful radiogalaxies, we observe velocity dispersions nearly as large as those observed in the most powerful ones (with FWHM ≅ 1000 km/s), but the quantity of ionized gas is decreased by one order of magnitude (M-ion gas ≅ 10"8 - 10"9 M-sun) and velocity gradients tend to be less dramatic (Δv ≤ 400 km/s), when they are observed. In our sample of quasars, we had to carefully subtract the broad spectral component of emission lines to have access to its narrow, and spatially extended, component. We detect truly extended emission line regions in 4/6 sources of our radio-loud sub-sample and in 1/5 source of our radio-quiet sub-sample. We estimate that masses of ionized gas in these sources are smaller than in our sample of high-redshift radiogalaxies (with Mion gas ≅ 10"7 - 10"8 Msun) and kinematics tend to be more quiescent, akin to what is observed in local quasars. Finally, detailed observations of two outliers among our sample of high-redshift radiogalaxies revealed that one of them is closely surrounded by 14 companions galaxies, hence lying in an over density. We therefore interpret the presence and morphology of ionized gas around these galaxies as evidence

  1. MAPPING THE POLARIZATION OF THE RADIO-LOUD Ly α NEBULA B3 J2330+3927

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    You, Chang; Zabludoff, Ann; Smith, Paul; Jannuzi, Buell [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Yang, Yujin [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeokdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34055 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Eunchong; Lee, Myung Gyoon [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 88226 (Korea, Republic of); Prescott, Moire K. M. [Department of Astronomy, New Mexico State University, 1320 Frenger Mall, Las Cruces, NM 88003 (United States); Matsuda, Yuichi, E-mail: yyang@kasi.re.kr [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan)

    2017-01-10

    Ly α nebulae, or “Ly α blobs,” are extended (up to ∼100 kpc), bright (L{sub Lyα}  ≳ 10{sup 43} erg s{sup −1}) clouds of Ly α emitting gas that tend to lie in overdense regions at z  ∼ 2–5. The origin of the Ly α emission remains unknown, but recent theoretical work suggests that measuring the polarization might discriminate among powering mechanisms. Here we present the first narrowband imaging polarimetry of a radio-loud Ly α nebula, B3 J2330+3927, at z = 3.09, with an embedded active galactic nucleus (AGN). The AGN lies near the blob’s Ly α emission peak, and its radio lobes align roughly with the blob’s major axis. With the SPOL polarimeter on the 6.5 m MMT telescope, we map the total (Ly α + continuum) polarization in a grid of circular apertures of a radius of 0.″6 (4.4 kpc), detecting a significant (>2 σ ) polarization fraction P {sub %} in nine apertures and achieving strong upper limits (as low as 2%) elsewhere. P{sub %} increases from <2% at ∼5 kpc from the blob center to 17% at ∼15–25 kpc. The detections are distributed asymmetrically, roughly along the nebula’s major axis. The polarization angles θ are mostly perpendicular to this axis. Comparing the Ly α flux to that of the continuum and conservatively assuming that the continuum is highly polarized (20%–100%) and aligned with the total polarization, we place lower limits on the polarization of the Ly α emission P{sub %,Lyα} ranging from no significant polarization at ∼5 kpc from the blob center to 3%–17% at 10–25 kpc. Like the total polarization, the Ly α polarization detections occur more often along the blob’s major axis.

  2. DEEP SPITZER OBSERVATIONS OF INFRARED-FAINT RADIO SOURCES: HIGH-REDSHIFT RADIO-LOUD ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Norris, Ray P.; Mao, Minnie; Afonso, Jose; Cava, Antonio; Farrah, Duncan; Oliver, Seb; Huynh, Minh T.; Mauduit, Jean-Christophe; Surace, Jason; Ivison, R. J.; Jarvis, Matt; Lacy, Mark; Maraston, Claudia; Middelberg, Enno; Seymour, Nick

    2011-01-01

    Infrared-faint radio sources (IFRSs) are a rare class of objects which are relatively bright at radio wavelengths but very faint at infrared and optical wavelengths. Here we present sensitive near-infrared observations of a sample of these sources taken as part of the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey. Nearly all the IFRSs are undetected at a level of ∼1 μJy in these new deep observations, and even the detections are consistent with confusion with unrelated galaxies. A stacked image implies that the median flux density is S 3.6μm ∼ 0.2 μJy or less, giving extreme values of the radio-infrared flux density ratio. Comparison of these objects with known classes of object suggests that the majority are probably high-redshift radio-loud galaxies, possibly suffering from significant dust extinction.

  3. INTERSTELLAR SCINTILLATION AND THE RADIO COUNTERPART OF THE FAST RADIO BURST FRB 150418

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akiyama, Kazunori [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Haystack Observatory, Route 40, Westford, MA 01886 (United States); Johnson, Michael D., E-mail: kazu@haystack.mit.edu [Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

    2016-06-10

    Keane et al. have recently reported the discovery of a new fast radio burst (FRB), FRB 150418, with a promising radio counterpart at 5.5 and 7.5 GHz—a rapidly decaying source, falling from 200–300 μ Jy to 100 μ Jy on timescales of ∼6 days. This transient source may be associated with an elliptical galaxy at redshift z = 0.492, providing the first firm spectroscopic redshift for an FRB and the ability to estimate the density of baryons in the intergalactic medium via the combination of known redshift and radio dispersion of the FRB. An alternative explanation, first suggested by Williams and Berger, is that the identified counterpart may instead be a compact active galactic nucleus (AGN). The putative counterpart’s variation may then instead be extrinsic, caused by refractive scintillation in the ionized interstellar medium of the Milky Way, which would invalidate the association with FRB 150418. We examine this latter explanation in detail and show that the reported observations are consistent with scintillating radio emission from the core of a radio-loud AGN having a brightness temperature T {sub b} ≳ 10{sup 9} K. Using numerical simulations of the expected scattering for the line of sight to FRB 150418, we provide example images and light curves of such an AGN at 5.5 and 7.5 GHz. These results can be compared with continued radio monitoring to conclusively determine the importance of scintillation for the observed radio variability, and they show that scintillation is a critical consideration for continued searches for FRB counterparts at radio wavelengths.

  4. Fading AGN Candidates: AGN Histories and Outflow Signatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keel, William C.; Maksym, W. Peter; Lintott, Chris J.; Bennert, Vardha N.; Scott, Bryan; Showley, Charles; Flatland, Kelsi; Chojnowski, S. Drew; Moiseev, Alexei; Smirnova, Aleksandrina; Schawinski, Kevin; Sartori, Lia F.; Urry, C. Megan; Pancoast, Anna; Schirmer, Mischa

    2017-01-01

    , morphologically suggestive of outflow, are common, their kinematic structure shows some to be in regular rotation. UGC 7342 exhibits local signatures of outflows <300 km s −1 , largely associated with very diffuse emission, and possibly entraining gas in one of the clouds seen in Hubble Space Telescope images. Only in the Teacup AGN do we see outflow signatures of the order of 1000 km s −1 . In contrast to the extended emission regions around many radio-loud AGNs, the clouds around these fading AGNs consist largely of tidal debris being externally illuminated but not displaced by AGN outflows.

  5. Fading AGN Candidates: AGN Histories and Outflow Signatures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Keel, William C.; Maksym, W. Peter [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Box 870324, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 (United States); Lintott, Chris J. [Astrophysics, Oxford University and Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. Lakeshore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605 (United States); Bennert, Vardha N.; Scott, Bryan; Showley, Charles; Flatland, Kelsi [Physics Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 (United States); Chojnowski, S. Drew [Department of Astronomy, New Mexico State University, P.O. Box 30001, MSC 4500, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001 (United States); Moiseev, Alexei; Smirnova, Aleksandrina [Special Astrophysical Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhny Arkhyz, 369167 (Russian Federation); Schawinski, Kevin; Sartori, Lia F. [Institute for Astronomy, ETH Zürich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Straße 27, CH-8093 Zurich (Switzerland); Urry, C. Megan [Department of Physics, Yale University, P.O. Box 208120, New Haven, CT 06520-8120 (United States); Pancoast, Anna [Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Schirmer, Mischa, E-mail: wkeel@ua.edu [Gemini Observatory, La Serena (Chile)

    2017-02-01

    loops of emission, morphologically suggestive of outflow, are common, their kinematic structure shows some to be in regular rotation. UGC 7342 exhibits local signatures of outflows <300 km s{sup −1}, largely associated with very diffuse emission, and possibly entraining gas in one of the clouds seen in Hubble Space Telescope images. Only in the Teacup AGN do we see outflow signatures of the order of 1000 km s{sup −1}. In contrast to the extended emission regions around many radio-loud AGNs, the clouds around these fading AGNs consist largely of tidal debris being externally illuminated but not displaced by AGN outflows.

  6. MULTIWAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF RADIO-QUIET QUASARS WITH WEAK EMISSION LINES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Plotkin, Richard M.; Anderson, Scott F.; MacLeod, Chelsea L.; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, Donald P.; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.; Fan Xiaohui; Shemmer, Ohad

    2010-01-01

    We present radio and X-ray observations, as well as optical light curves, for a subset of 26 BL Lac candidates from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) lacking strong radio emission and with z < 2.2. Half of these 26 objects are shown to be stars, galaxies, or absorbed quasars. We conclude that the other 13 objects are active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with abnormally weak emission features; 10 of those 13 are definitively radio quiet, and, for those with available optical light curves, their level of optical flux variability is consistent with radio-quiet quasars. We cannot exclude the possibility that some of these 13 AGNs lie on the extremely radio-faint tail of the BL Lac distribution, but our study generally supports the notion that all BL Lac objects are radio-loud. These radio-quiet AGNs appear to have intrinsically weak or absent broad emission line regions (BELRs), and, based on their X-ray properties, we argue that some are low-redshift analogs to weak line quasars (WLQs). SDSS BL Lac searches are so far the only systematic surveys of the SDSS database capable of recovering such exotic low-redshift WLQs. There are 71 more z < 2.2 radio-quiet BL Lac candidates already identified in the SDSS, but not considered here, and many of those might be best unified with WLQs as well. Future studies combining low- and high-redshift WLQ samples will yield new insight on our understanding of the structure and formation of AGN BELRs.

  7. DISCOVERY OF ULTRA-FAST OUTFLOWS IN A SAMPLE OF BROAD-LINE RADIO GALAXIES OBSERVED WITH SUZAKU

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tombesi, F.; Sambruna, R. M.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Reeves, J. N.; Gofford, J.; Braito, V.; Ballo, L.; Cappi, M.

    2010-01-01

    We present the results of a uniform and systematic search for blueshifted Fe K absorption lines in the X-ray spectra of five bright broad-line radio galaxies observed with Suzaku. We detect, for the first time in radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at X-rays, several absorption lines at energies greater than 7 keV in three out of five sources, namely, 3C 111, 3C 120, and 3C 390.3. The lines are detected with high significance according to both the F-test and extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Their likely interpretation as blueshifted Fe XXV and Fe XXVI K-shell resonance lines implies an origin from highly ionized gas outflowing with mildly relativistic velocities, in the range v ≅ 0.04-0.15c. A fit with specific photoionization models gives ionization parameters in the range log ξ ≅ 4-5.6 erg s -1 cm and column densities of N H ≅ 10 22 -10 23 cm -2 . These characteristics are very similar to those of the ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) previously observed in radio-quiet AGNs. Their estimated location within ∼0.01-0.3 pc of the central super-massive black hole suggests a likely origin related with accretion disk winds/outflows. Depending on the absorber covering fraction, the mass outflow rate of these UFOs can be comparable to the accretion rate and their kinetic power can correspond to a significant fraction of the bolometric luminosity and is comparable to their typical jet power. Therefore, these UFOs can play a significant role in the expected feedback from the AGN to the surrounding environment and can give us further clues on the relation between the accretion disk and the formation of winds/jets in both radio-quiet and radio-loud AGNs.

  8. RADIATION MECHANISM AND JET COMPOSITION OF GAMMA-RAY BURSTS AND GeV-TeV-SELECTED RADIO-LOUD ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang Jin; Lu Ye; Zhang Shuangnan [National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Liang Enwei; Sun Xiaona [Department of Physics and GXU-NAOC Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004 (China); Zhang Bing, E-mail: lew@gxu.edu.cn [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154 (United States)

    2013-09-01

    Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and GeV-TeV-selected radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are compared based on our systematic modeling of the observed spectral energy distributions of a sample of AGNs with a single-zone leptonic model. We show that the correlation between the jet power (P{sub jet}) and the prompt gamma-ray luminosity (L{sub jet}) of GRBs is consistent, within the uncertainties, with the correlation between jet power and the synchrotron peak luminosity (L{sub s,jet}) of flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs). Their radiation efficiencies ({epsilon}) are also comparable (>10% for most sources), which increase with the bolometric jet luminosity (L{sub bol,jet}) for FSRQs and with the L{sub jet} for GRBs with similar power-law indices. BL Lac objects (BL Lacs) do not follow the P{sub jet}-L{sub s,jet} relation of FSRQs. They have lower {epsilon} and L{sub bol,jet} values than FSRQs, and a tentative L{sub bol,jet}-{epsilon} relation is also found, with a power-law index different from that of the FSRQs. The magnetization parameters ({sigma}) of FSRQs are on average larger than that of BL Lacs. They are anti-correlated with {epsilon} for the FSRQs, but positively correlated with {epsilon} for the BL Lacs. GeV narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies potentially share similar properties with FSRQs. Based on the analogy between GRBs and FSRQs, we suggest that the prompt gamma-ray emission of GRBs is likely produced by the synchrotron process in a magnetized jet with high radiation efficiency, similar to FSRQs. The jets of BL Lacs, on the other hand, are less efficient and are likely more matter-dominated.

  9. DISCOVERY OF DRAMATIC OPTICAL VARIABILITY IN SDSS J1100+4421: A PECULIAR RADIO-LOUD NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXY?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tanaka, Masaomi [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Morokuma, Tomoki; Doi, Mamoru; Kikuchi, Yuki [Institute of Astronomy, School of Science, University of Tokyo, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-0015 (Japan); Itoh, Ryosuke [Department of Physical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526 (Japan); Akitaya, Hiroshi; Tanaka, Yasuyuki T.; Kawabata, Koji S. [Hiroshima Astrophysical Science Center, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526 (Japan); Tominaga, Nozomu [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Konan University, Kobe, Hyogo 658-8501 (Japan); Saito, Yoshihiko; Kawai, Nobuyuki [Department of Physics, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551 (Japan); Stawarz, Łukasz [Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210 (Japan); Gandhi, Poshak [Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1-3LE (United Kingdom); Ali, Gamal; Essam, Ahmad; Hamed, Gamal [National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Helwan, Cairo (Egypt); Aoki, Tsutomu [Kiso Observatory, Institute of Astronomy, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Kiso, Nagano 397-0101 (Japan); Contreras, Carlos; Hsiao, Eric Y. [Carnegie Observatories, Las Campanas Observatory, Colina El Pino, Casilla 601 (Chile); Iwata, Ikuru, E-mail: masaomi.tanaka@nao.ac.jp [Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); and others

    2014-10-01

    We present our discovery of dramatic variability in SDSS J1100+4421 by the high-cadence transient survey Kiso Supernova Survey. The source brightened in the optical by at least a factor of three within about half a day. Spectroscopic observations suggest that this object is likely a narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLS1) at z = 0.840, however, with unusually strong narrow emission lines. The estimated black hole mass of ∼10{sup 7} M {sub ☉} implies bolometric nuclear luminosity close to the Eddington limit. SDSS J1100+4421 is also extremely radio-loud, with a radio loudness parameter of R ≅ 4 × 10{sup 2}-3 × 10{sup 3}, which implies the presence of relativistic jets. Rapid and large-amplitude optical variability of the target, reminiscent of that found in a few radio- and γ-ray-loud NLS1s, is therefore produced most likely in a blazar-like core. The 1.4 GHz radio image of the source shows an extended structure with a linear size of about 100 kpc. If SDSS J1100+4421 is a genuine NLS1, as suggested here, this radio structure would then be the largest ever discovered in this type of active galaxies.

  10. Extreme Gaseous Outflows in Radio-Loud Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komossa, S.; Xu, D. W.; Wagner, A. Y.

    2018-04-01

    We present four radio-loud NLS1 galaxies with extreme emission-line shifts, indicating radial outflow velocities of the ionized gas of up to 2450 km/s, above the escape velocity of the host galaxies. The forbidden lines show strong broadening, up to 2270 km/s. An ionization stratification (higher line shift at higher ionization potential) implies that we see a large-scale outflow rather than single, localized jet-cloud interactions. Similarly, the paucity of zero-velocity [OIII]λ5007 emitting gas implies the absence of a second narrow-line region (NLR) component at rest, and therefore a large part of the high-ionization NLR is affected by the outflow. Given the radio loudness of these NLS1 galaxies, the observations are consistent with a pole on view onto their central engines, so that the effects of polar outflows are maximized. In addition, a very efficient driving mechanism is required, to reach the high observed velocities. We explore implications from recent hydrodynamic simulations of the interaction between fast winds or jets with the large-scale NLR. Overall, the best agreement with observations (and especially the high outflow speeds of the [NeV] emitting gas) can be reached if the NLS1 galaxies are relatively young sources with lifetimes not much exceeding 1 Myr. These systems represent sites of strong feedback at NLR scales at work, well below redshift one.

  11. The Suzaku observation of the nucleus of the radio loud active galaxy Centaurus A

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Markowitz, Alex

    2007-01-01

    A Suzaku observation of the nucleus of the radio-loud AGN Centaurus A in 2005 has yielded a broadband spectrum spanning 0.3 to 250 keV. The hard X-rays are fit by two power laws, absorbed by columns of 1.5 and 7x10 23 cm -2 respectively. The spectrum consistent with previous suggestions that the power-law components are X-ray emission from the sub-pc VLBI jet and from Bondi accretion at the core, or are consistent with a partial covering interpretation. The soft band is dominated by thermal emission from the diffuse plasma and is fit well by a two-temperature collisional ionization emission model, plus a third power-law component to account for scattered nuclear emission, kpc-scale jet emission, and emission from X-ray Binaries and other point sources. Narrow fluorescent emission lines from Fe, Si, S, Ar, Ca and Ni are detected. The width of the Fe Kα line yields a 200 light-day lower limit on the distance from the black hole to the line-emitting gas. K-shell absorption edges due to Fe, Ca, and S are detected. The high metallicity ([Fe/H]=+0.1) of the circumnuclear material suggests that the accreting material could not have originated in the metal-poor outer halo unless enrichment by local star formation has occurred. Relative element abundances are consistent with enrichment due to local star formation processes. (author)

  12. The importance of jet bending in gamma-ray AGNs—revisited

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Graham, P. J. [School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Tingay, S. J. [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Curtin University, Bentley, WA (Australia)

    2014-04-01

    We investigate the hypothesis that γ-ray-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have a greater tendency for jet bending than γ-ray-loud AGNs, revisiting the analysis of Tingay et al. We perform a statistical analysis using a large sample of 351 radio-loud AGNs along with γ-ray identifications from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Our results show no statistically significant differences in jet-bending properties between γ-ray-loud and γ-ray-quiet populations, indicating that jet bending is not a significant factor for γ-ray detection in AGNs.

  13. Infrared-faint radio sources remain undetected at far-infrared wavelengths. Deep photometric observations using the Herschel Space Observatory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herzog, A.; Norris, R. P.; Middelberg, E.; Spitler, L. R.; Leipski, C.; Parker, Q. A.

    2015-08-01

    Context. Showing 1.4 GHz flux densities in the range of a few to a few tens of mJy, infrared-faint radio sources (IFRS) are a type of galaxy characterised by faint or absent near-infrared counterparts and consequently extreme radio-to-infrared flux density ratios up to several thousand. Recent studies showed that IFRS are radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at redshifts ≳2, potentially linked to high-redshift radio galaxies (HzRGs). Aims: This work explores the far-infrared emission of IFRS, providing crucial information on the star forming and AGN activity of IFRS. Furthermore, the data enable examining the putative relationship between IFRS and HzRGs and testing whether IFRS are more distant or fainter siblings of these massive galaxies. Methods: A sample of six IFRS was observed with the Herschel Space Observatory between 100 μm and 500 μm. Using these results, we constrained the nature of IFRS by modelling their broad-band spectral energy distribution (SED). Furthermore, we set an upper limit on their infrared SED and decomposed their emission into contributions from an AGN and from star forming activity. Results: All six observed IFRS were undetected in all five Herschel far-infrared channels (stacking limits: σ = 0.74 mJy at 100 μm, σ = 3.45 mJy at 500 μm). Based on our SED modelling, we ruled out the following objects to explain the photometric characteristics of IFRS: (a) known radio-loud quasars and compact steep-spectrum sources at any redshift; (b) starburst galaxies with and without an AGN and Seyfert galaxies at any redshift, even if the templates were modified; and (c) known HzRGs at z ≲ 10.5. We find that the IFRS analysed in this work can only be explained by objects that fulfil the selection criteria of HzRGs. More precisely, IFRS could be (a) known HzRGs at very high redshifts (z ≳ 10.5); (b) low-luminosity siblings of HzRGs with additional dust obscuration at lower redshifts; (c) scaled or unscaled versions of Cygnus A at any

  14. LOFAR-Boötes: properties of high- and low-excitation radio galaxies at 0.5 < z < 2.0

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, W. L.; Calistro Rivera, G.; Best, P. N.; Hardcastle, M. J.; Röttgering, H. J. A.; Duncan, K. J.; de Gasperin, F.; Jarvis, M. J.; Miley, G. K.; Mahony, E. K.; Morabito, L. K.; Nisbet, D. M.; Prandoni, I.; Smith, D. J. B.; Tasse, C.; White, G. J.

    2018-04-01

    This paper presents a study of the redshift evolution of radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) as a function of the properties of their galaxy hosts in the Boötes field. To achieve this we match low-frequency radio sources from deep 150-MHz LOFAR (LOw Frequency ARray) observations to an I-band-selected catalogue of galaxies, for which we have derived photometric redshifts, stellar masses, and rest-frame colours. We present spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting to determine the mid-infrared AGN contribution for the radio sources and use this information to classify them as high- versus low-excitation radio galaxies (HERGs and LERGs) or star-forming galaxies. Based on these classifications, we construct luminosity functions for the separate redshift ranges going out to z = 2. From the matched radio-optical catalogues, we select a sub-sample of 624 high power (P150 MHz > 1025 W Hz-1) radio sources between 0.5 ≤ z negative evolution of the LERG luminosity functions over this redshift range, is consistent with LERGs being fuelled by hot gas in quiescent galaxies.

  15. RAPID INFRARED VARIABILITY OF THREE RADIO-LOUD NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXIES: A VIEW FROM THE WIDE-FIELD INFRARED SURVEY EXPLORER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang Ning; Zhou Hongyan; Wang Tinggui; Dong Xiaobo; Jiang Peng [Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Science, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Ho, Luis C. [The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); Yuan Weimin [National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Ji Tuo; Tian Qiguo, E-mail: jnac@mail.ustc.edu.cn [Polar Research Institute of China, 451 Jinqiao Road, Pudong, Shanghai 200136 (China)

    2012-11-10

    Using newly released data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, we report the discovery of rapid infrared variability in three radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) selected from the 23 sources in the sample of Yuan et al. J0849+5108 and J0948+0022 clearly show intraday variability, while J1505+0326 has a longer measurable timescale within 180 days. Their variability amplitudes, corrected for measurement errors, are {approx}0.1-0.2 mag. The detection of intraday variability restricts the size of the infrared-emitting region to {approx}10{sup -3} pc, significantly smaller than the scale of the torus but consistent with the base of a jet. The three variable sources are exceptionally radio-loud, have the highest radio brightness temperature among the whole sample, and all show detected {gamma}-ray emission in Fermi/LAT observations. Their spectral energy distributions resemble those of low-energy-peaked blazars, with a synchrotron peak around infrared wavelengths. This result strongly confirms the view that at least some radio-loud NLS1s are blazars with a relativistic jet close to our line of sight. The beamed synchrotron emission from the jet contributes significantly to and probably dominates the spectra in the infrared and even optical bands.

  16. RADIO-QUIET AND RADIO-LOUD PULSARS: SIMILAR IN GAMMA-RAYS BUT DIFFERENT IN X-RAYS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marelli, M.; Mignani, R. P.; Luca, A. De; Salvetti, D. [INAF—Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica Milano, via E. Bassini 15, I-20133, Milano (Italy); Parkinson, P. M. Saz [Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, Department of Physics, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Hartog, P. R. Den [Stanford University HEPL/KIPAC, 452 Lomita Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-4085 (United States); Wolff, M. T., E-mail: marelli@iasf-milano.inaf.it [Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5352 (United States)

    2015-04-01

    We present new Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of a sample of eight radio-quiet (RQ) γ-ray pulsars detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. For all eight pulsars we identify the X-ray counterpart, based on the X-ray source localization and the best position obtained from γ-ray pulsar timing. For PSR J2030+4415 we found evidence for a ∼10″-long pulsar wind nebula. Our new results consolidate the work from Marelli et al. and confirm that, on average, the γ-ray-to-X-ray flux ratios (F{sub γ}/F{sub X}) of RQ pulsars are higher than for the radio-loud (RL) ones. Furthermore, while the F{sub γ}/F{sub X} distribution features a single peak for the RQ pulsars, the distribution is more dispersed for the RL ones, possibly showing two peaks. We discuss possible implications of these different distributions based on current models for pulsar X-ray emission.

  17. A CLOSER VIEW OF THE RADIO-FIR CORRELATION: DISENTANGLING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF STAR FORMATION AND ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS ACTIVITY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moric, I.; Smolcic, V.; Riechers, D. A.; Scoville, N.; Kimball, A.; Ivezic, Z.

    2010-01-01

    We extend the Unified Radio Catalog, a catalog of sources detected by various (NVSS, FIRST, WENSS, GB6) radio surveys, and SDSS, to IR wavelengths by matching it to the IRAS Point and Faint Source catalogs. By fitting each NVSS-selected galaxy's NUV-NIR spectral energy distribution (SED) with stellar population synthesis models we add to the catalog star formation rates (SFRs), stellar masses, and attenuations. We further add information about optical emission-line properties for NVSS-selected galaxies with available SDSS spectroscopy. Using an NVSS 20 cm (F 1.4 G Hz ∼> 2.5 mJy) selected sample, matched to the SDSS spectroscopic ('main' galaxy and quasar) catalogs and IRAS data (0.04 < z ∼< 0.2) we perform an in-depth analysis of the radio-FIR correlation for various types of galaxies, separated into (1) quasars, (2) star-forming, (3) composite, (4) Seyfert, (5) LINER, and (6) absorption line galaxies using the standard optical spectroscopic diagnostic tools. We utilize SED-based SFRs to independently quantify the source of radio and FIR emission in our galaxies. Our results show that Seyfert galaxies have FIR/radio ratios lower than, but still within the scatter of, the canonical value due to an additional (likely active galactic nucleus (AGN)) contribution to their radio continuum emission. Furthermore, IR-detected absorption and LINER galaxies are on average strongly dominated by AGN activity in both their FIR and radio emission; however their average FIR/radio ratio is consistent with that expected for star-forming galaxies. In summary, we find that most AGN-containing galaxies in our NVSS-IRAS-SDSS sample have FIR/radio flux ratios indistinguishable from those of the star-forming galaxies that define the radio-FIR correlation. Thus, attempts to separate AGNs from star-forming galaxies by their FIR/radio flux ratios alone can separate only a small fraction of the AGNs, such as the radio-loud quasars.

  18. RAiSE II: resolved spectral evolution in radio AGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, Ross J.; Rogers, Jonathan G.; Shabala, Stanislav S.; Krause, Martin G. H.

    2018-01-01

    The active galactic nuclei (AGN) lobe radio luminosities modelled in hydrodynamical simulations and most analytical models do not address the redistribution of the electron energies due to adiabatic expansion, synchrotron radiation and inverse-Compton scattering of cosmic microwave background photons. We present a synchrotron emissivity model for resolved sources that includes a full treatment of the loss mechanisms spatially across the lobe, and apply it to a dynamical radio source model with known pressure and volume expansion rates. The bulk flow and dispersion of discrete electron packets is represented by tracer fields in hydrodynamical simulations; we show that the mixing of different aged electrons strongly affects the spectrum at each point of the radio map in high-powered Fanaroff & Riley type II (FR-II) sources. The inclusion of this mixing leads to a factor of a few discrepancy between the spectral age measured using impulsive injection models (e.g. JP model) and the dynamical age. The observable properties of radio sources are predicted to be strongly frequency dependent: FR-II lobes are expected to appear more elongated at higher frequencies, while jetted FR-I sources appear less extended. The emerging FR0 class of radio sources, comprising gigahertz peaked and compact steep spectrum sources, can potentially be explained by a population of low-powered FR-Is. The extended emission from such sources is shown to be undetectable for objects within a few orders of magnitude of the survey detection limit and to not contribute to the curvature of the radio spectral energy distribution.

  19. The AGN Population in Nearby Galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Filho, Mercedes; Barthel, Peter; Ho, Luis

    2006-01-01

    In order to determine the incidence of black hole accretion-driven nuclear activity in nearby galaxies, we have compiled radio data for the LINERs, composite LINER,/Hn and Seyfert galaxies from a complete magnitude-limited sample of bright nearby galaxies (Palomar sample). Our results show an overall radio detection rate of 54% (22% of all bright nearby galaxies) and we estimate that at least ∼50% (∼20% of all bright nearby galaxies) are true AGN. By comparing the radio luminosity function of the LINERs, composite LINER/Hll and Seyferts galaxies in the Palomar sample with those of selected moderate-redshift AGN, we fhd that our sources naturally extend the radio luminosity function of powerful AGN down to powers of about 10 times that of Sgr A*

  20. `Zwicky's Nonet': a compact merging ensemble of nine galaxies and 4C 35.06, a peculiar radio galaxy with dancing radio jets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biju, K. G.; Bagchi, Joydeep; Ishwara-Chandra, C. H.; Pandey-Pommier, M.; Jacob, Joe; Patil, M. K.; Kumar, P. Sunil; Pandge, Mahadev; Dabhade, Pratik; Gaikwad, Madhuri; Dhurde, Samir; Abraham, Sheelu; Vivek, M.; Mahabal, Ashish A.; Djorgovski, S. G.

    2017-10-01

    We report the results of our radio, optical and infrared studies of a peculiar radio source 4C 35.06, an extended radio-loud active galactic nucleus (AGN) at the centre of galaxy cluster Abell 407 (z = 0.047). The central region of this cluster hosts a remarkably tight ensemble of nine galaxies, the spectra of which resemble those of passive red ellipticals, embedded within a diffuse stellar halo of ˜1 arcmin size. This system (named 'Zwicky's Nonet') provides unique and compelling evidence for a multiple-nucleus cD galaxy precursor. Multifrequency radio observations of 4C 35.06 with the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at 610, 235 and 150 MHz reveal a system of 400-kpc scale helically twisted and kinked radio jets and outer diffuse lobes. The outer extremities of jets contain extremely steep-spectrum (spectral index -1.7 to -2.5) relic/fossil radio plasma with a spectral age of a few ×(107-108) yr. Such ultra-steep spectrum relic radio lobes without definitive hotspots are rare and they provide an opportunity to understand the life cycle of relativistic jets and physics of black hole mergers in dense environments. We interpret our observations of this radio source in the context of growth of its central black hole, triggering of its AGN activity and jet precession, all possibly caused by galaxy mergers in this dense galactic system. A slow conical precession of the jet axis due to gravitational perturbation between interacting black holes is invoked to explain the unusual jet morphology.

  1. RAiSE III: 3C radio AGN energetics and composition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, Ross J.; Shabala, Stanislav S.; Krause, Martin G. H.

    2018-03-01

    Kinetic jet power estimates based exclusively on observed monochromatic radio luminosities are highly uncertain due to confounding variables and a lack of knowledge about some aspects of the physics of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We propose a new methodology to calculate the jet powers of the largest, most powerful radio sources based on combinations of their size, lobe luminosity, and shape of their radio spectrum; this approach avoids the uncertainties encountered by previous relationships. The outputs of our model are calibrated using hydrodynamical simulations and tested against independent X-ray inverse-Compton measurements. The jet powers and lobe magnetic field strengths of radio sources are found to be recovered using solely the lobe luminosity and spectral curvature, enabling the intrinsic properties of unresolved high-redshift sources to be inferred. By contrast, the radio source ages cannot be estimated without knowledge of the lobe volumes. The monochromatic lobe luminosity alone is incapable of accurately estimating the jet power or source age without knowledge of the lobe magnetic field strength and size, respectively. We find that, on average, the lobes of the Third Cambridge Catalogue of Radio Sources (3C) have magnetic field strengths approximately a factor three lower than the equipartition value, inconsistent with equal energy in the particles and the fields at the 5σ level. The particle content of 3C radio lobes is discussed in the context of complementary observations; we do not find evidence favouring an energetically dominant proton population.

  2. Observations of neutral hydrogen in radio-loud and interacting galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heckman, T. M.; Balick, B.; Van Breugel, W. J. W.; Miley, G. K.

    1983-01-01

    The results of a survey of H I in radio-loud and interacting galaxies is presented. Four cases of H I absorption and five of emission are reported. The interesting features found for individual galaxies are described, and the systematic properties are discussed. Column densities of absorbing gas generally exceed those expected for a 'Milky Way' H I disk by more than an order of magnitude. The absorbing gas must have a flattened, disklike morphology oriented roughly parallel to the optical disk of the galaxy. Turbulent noncircular gas motions are evidently present, which are shown to be almost certainly induced by galaxy-galaxy interactions. The set of galaxies in which H I absorption has been detected is dominated by morphologically peculiar objects. It is concluded that the detection of H I seen in absorption against a nuclear radio source permits direct determination of the sense of radial flow of extranuclear material, and is direct evidence that potential 'food' for a compact object in the nucleus exists in the galaxy.

  3. Active galactic nuclei cores in infrared-faint radio sources. Very long baseline interferometry observations using the Very Long Baseline Array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herzog, A.; Middelberg, E.; Norris, R. P.; Spitler, L. R.; Deller, A. T.; Collier, J. D.; Parker, Q. A.

    2015-06-01

    Context. Infrared-faint radio sources (IFRS) form a new class of galaxies characterised by radio flux densities between tenths and tens of mJy and faint or absent infrared counterparts. It has been suggested that these objects are radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at significant redshifts (z ≳ 2). Aims: Whereas the high redshifts of IFRS have been recently confirmed based on spectroscopic data, the evidence for the presence of AGNs in IFRS is mainly indirect. So far, only two AGNs have been unquestionably confirmed in IFRS based on very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations. In this work, we test the hypothesis that IFRS contain AGNs in a large sample of sources using VLBI. Methods: We observed 57 IFRS with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) down to a detection sensitivity in the sub-mJy regime and detected compact cores in 35 sources. Results: Our VLBA detections increase the number of VLBI-detected IFRS from 2 to 37 and provide strong evidence that most - if not all - IFRS contain AGNs. We find that IFRS have a marginally higher VLBI detection fraction than randomly selected sources with mJy flux densities at arcsec-scales. Moreover, our data provide a positive correlation between compactness - defined as the ratio of milliarcsec- to arcsec-scale flux density - and redshift for IFRS, but suggest a decreasing mean compactness with increasing arcsec-scale radio flux density. Based on these findings, we suggest that IFRS tend to contain young AGNs whose jets have not formed yet or have not expanded, equivalent to very compact objects. We found two IFRS that are resolved into two components. The two components are spatially separated by a few hundred milliarcseconds in both cases. They might be components of one AGN, a binary black hole, or the result of gravitational lensing.

  4. Broadband radio spectro-polarimetric observations of high-Faraday-rotation-measure AGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasetto, Alice; Carrasco-González, Carlos; O'Sullivan, Shane; Basu, Aritra; Bruni, Gabriele; Kraus, Alex; Curiel, Salvador; Mack, Karl-Heinz

    2018-06-01

    We present broadband polarimetric observations of a sample of high-Faraday-rotation-measure (high-RM) active galactic nuclei (AGN) using the Karl. G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) telescope from 1 to 2 GHz, and 4 to 12 GHz. The sample (14 sources) consists of very compact sources (linear resolution smaller than ≈5 kpc) that are unpolarized at 1.4 GHz in the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS). Total intensity data have been modeled using a combination of synchrotron components, revealing complex structure in their radio spectra. Depolarization modeling, through the so-called qu-fitting (the modeling of the fractional quantities of the Stokes Q and U parameters), has been performed on the polarized data using an equation that attempts to simplify the process of fitting many different depolarization models. These models can be divided into two major categories: external depolarization (ED) and internal depolarization (ID) models. Understanding which of the two mechanisms is the most representative would help the qualitative understanding of the AGN jet environment and whether it is embedded in a dense external magneto-ionic medium or if it is the jet-wind that causes the high RM and strong depolarization. This could help to probe the jet magnetic field geometry (e.g., helical or otherwise). This new high-sensitivity data shows a complicated behavior in the total intensity and polarization radio spectrum of individual sources. We observed the presence of several synchrotron components and Faraday components in their total intensity and polarized spectra. For the majority of our targets (12 sources), the depolarization seems to be caused by a turbulent magnetic field. Thus, our main selection criteria (lack of polarization at 1.4 GHz in the NVSS) result in a sample of sources with very large RMs and depolarization due to turbulent magnetic fields local to the source. These broadband JVLA data reveal the complexity of the polarization properties of this class of radio sources

  5. The Large Area Radio Galaxy Evolution Spectroscopic Survey (LARGESS): survey design, data catalogue and GAMA/WiggleZ spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ching, John H. Y.; Sadler, Elaine M.; Croom, Scott M.; Johnston, Helen M.; Pracy, Michael B.; Couch, Warrick J.; Hopkins, A. M.; Jurek, Russell J.; Pimbblet, K. A.

    2017-01-01

    We present the Large Area Radio Galaxy Evolution Spectroscopic Survey (LARGESS), a spectroscopic catalogue of radio sources designed to include the full range of radio AGN populations out to redshift z ˜ 0.8. The catalogue covers ˜800 deg2 of sky, and provides optical identifications for 19 179 radio sources from the 1.4 GHz Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-cm (FIRST) survey down to an optical magnitude limit of Imod point-like objects are included, and no colour cuts are applied. In collaboration with the WiggleZ and Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) spectroscopic survey teams, we have obtained new spectra for over 5000 objects in the LARGESS sample. Combining these new spectra with data from earlier surveys provides spectroscopic data for 12 329 radio sources in the survey area, of which 10 856 have reliable redshifts. 85 per cent of the LARGESS spectroscopic sample are radio AGN (median redshift z = 0.44), and 15 per cent are nearby star-forming galaxies (median z = 0.08). Low-excitation radio galaxies (LERGs) comprise the majority (83 per cent) of LARGESS radio AGN at z < 0.8, with 12 per cent being high-excitation radio galaxies (HERGs) and 5 per cent radio-loud QSOs. Unlike the more homogeneous LERG and QSO sub-populations, HERGs are a heterogeneous class of objects with relatively blue optical colours and a wide dispersion in mid-infrared colours. This is consistent with a picture in which most HERGs are hosted by galaxies with recent or ongoing star formation as well as a classical accretion disc.

  6. KILOPARSEC-SCALE JETS IN THREE RADIO-LOUD NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Richards, Joseph L.; Lister, Matthew L., E-mail: jlr@purdue.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, 525 Northwestern Avenue, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States)

    2015-02-10

    We have discovered kiloparsec-scale extended radio emission in three narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) in sub-arcsecond resolution 9 GHz images from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. We find all sources show two-sided, mildly core-dominated jet structures with diffuse lobes dominated by termination hotspots. These span 20–70 kpc with morphologies reminiscent of FR II radio galaxies, while the extended radio luminosities are intermediate between FR I and FR II sources. In two cases the structure is linear, while a 45° bend is apparent in the third. Very Long Baseline Array images at 7.6 GHz reveal parsec-scale jet structures, in two cases with extended structure aligned with the inner regions of the kiloparsec-scale jets. Based on this alignment, the ratio of the radio core–luminosity to the optical luminosity, the jet/counter-jet intensity and extension length ratios, and moderate core brightness temperatures (≲10{sup 10} K), we conclude these jets are mildly relativistic (β≲0.3, δ∼1−1.5) and aligned at moderately small angles to the line of sight (10–15°). The derived kinematic ages of ∼10{sup 6}–10{sup 7} yr are much younger than radio galaxies but comparable to other NLS1s. Our results increase the number of radio-loud NLS1s with known kiloparsec-scale extensions from 7 to 10 and suggest that such extended emission may be common, at least among the brightest of these sources.

  7. Evidence for ultrafast outflows in radio-quiet AGNs - III. Location and energetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tombesi, F.; Cappi, M.; Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V.

    2012-05-01

    Using the results of a previous X-ray photoionization modelling of blueshifted Fe K absorption lines on a sample of 42 local radio-quiet AGNs observed with XMM-Newton, in this Letter we estimate the location and energetics of the associated ultrafast outflows (UFOs). Due to significant uncertainties, we are essentially able to place only lower/upper limits. On average, their location is in the interval ˜0.0003-0.03 pc (˜ 102-104rs) from the central black hole, consistent with what is expected for accretion disc winds/outflows. The mass outflow rates are constrained between ˜0.01 and 1 M⊙ yr-1, corresponding to >rsim5-10 per cent of the accretion rates. The average lower/upper limits on the mechanical power are log? 42.6-44.6 erg s-1. However, the minimum possible value of the ratio between the mechanical power and bolometric luminosity is constrained to be comparable or higher than the minimum required by simulations of feedback induced by winds/outflows. Therefore, this work demonstrates that UFOs are indeed capable to provide a significant contribution to the AGN cosmological feedback, in agreement with theoretical expectations and the recent observation of interactions between AGN outflows and the interstellar medium in several Seyfert galaxies.

  8. Studying AGN Jets At Extreme Angular Resolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruni, Gabriele

    2016-10-01

    RadioAstron is a 10m antenna orbiting on the Russian Speckt-R spacecraft, launched in 2011. Performing radio interferometry with a global array of ground telescopes, it is providing record angular resolution. The Key Science Project on AGN polarization is exploiting it to study in great detail the configuration of magnetic fields in AGN jets, and understand their formation and collimation. To date, the project has already achieved the highest angular resolution image ever obtained in Astronomy, and detected brightness temperatures exceeding the ones predicted by theory of AGN.

  9. Mean and Extreme Radio Properties of Quasars and the Origin of Radio Emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richards, Gordon T.; Kratzer, R.

    2014-01-01

    We explore the evolution of the fraction of radio loud quasars and the mean radio properties of quasars. Although any quasar has only a ~10% chance of being radio loud and the average quasar has a radio luminosity of ~4x10^30 ergs/s/Hz, these properties are strong functions of not only luminosity, redshift, black hole mass, and accretion rate, but also the strength of the accretion disk wind (as characterized by CIV emission line properties). Quasars with higher optical luminosity and/or lower redshift have a higher than average probability of being radio loud, but their median radio luminosity (relative to optical) is much lower than average. We find that, while radio properties of quasars generally cannot be predicted from their optical properties, objects where one expects a strong radiation line driven wind (based on emission line features) have virtually no chance of being radio loud. The redder quasars are in the optical, the more radio flux (relative to optical) they have; this trend holds even for quasars that are not expected to be significantly dust reddened/extincted in the optical. Finally, we consider the radio properties of quasars in the framework of models which describe the radio loud extrema as being due to particularly high spin resulting from second generation mergers and in the context of star formation at lower levels of radio flux. This work was supported by NSF AAG grant 1108798.

  10. Mean and extreme radio properties of quasars and the origin of radio emission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kratzer, Rachael M.; Richards, Gordon T. [Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

    2015-02-01

    We investigate the evolution of both the radio-loud fraction (RLF) and (using stacking analysis) the mean radio loudness of quasars. We consider how these properties evolve as a function of redshift and luminosity, black hole (BH) mass and accretion rate, and parameters related to the dominance of a wind in the broad emission-line region. We match the FIRST source catalog to samples of luminous quasars (both spectroscopic and photometric), primarily from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. After accounting for catastrophic errors in BH mass estimates at high redshift, we find that both the RLF and the mean radio luminosity increase for increasing BH mass and decreasing accretion rate. Similarly, both the RLF and mean radio loudness increase for quasars that are argued to have weaker radiation line driven wind components of the broad emission-line region. In agreement with past work, we find that the RLF increases with increasing optical/UV luminosity and decreasing redshift, while the mean radio loudness evolves in the exact opposite manner. This difference in behavior between the mean radio loudness and the RLF in L−z may indicate selection effects that bias our understanding of the evolution of the RLF; deeper surveys in the optical and radio are needed to resolve this discrepancy. Finally, we argue that radio-loud (RL) and radio-quiet (RQ) quasars may be parallel sequences, but where only RQ quasars at one extreme of the distribution are likely to become RL, possibly through slight differences in spin and/or merger history.

  11. The accretion history of the Universe with the SKA

    OpenAIRE

    Jarvis, Matt J.; Rawlings, Steve

    2004-01-01

    In this paper we investigate how the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) can aid in determining the evolutionary history of active galactic nuclei (AGN) from redshifts z= 0 ->6. Given the vast collecting area of the SKA, it will be sensitive to both `radio-loud' AGN and the much more abundant `radio-quiet' AGN, namely the radio-quiet quasars and their `Type-II' counterparts, out to the highest redshifts. Not only will the SKA detect these sources but it will also often be able to measure their redsh...

  12. The faint radio source population at 15.7 GHz - II. Multi-wavelength properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whittam, I. H.; Riley, J. M.; Green, D. A.; Jarvis, M. J.; Vaccari, M.

    2015-11-01

    A complete, flux density limited sample of 96 faint (>0.5 mJy) radio sources is selected from the 10C survey at 15.7 GHz in the Lockman Hole. We have matched this sample to a range of multi-wavelength catalogues, including Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey, Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic survey, United Kingdom Infrared Telescope Infrared Deep Sky Survey and optical data; multi-wavelength counterparts are found for 80 of the 96 sources and spectroscopic redshifts are available for 24 sources. Photometric redshifts are estimated for the sources with multi-wavelength data available; the median redshift of the sample is 0.91 with an interquartile range of 0.84. Radio-to-optical ratios show that at least 94 per cent of the sample are radio loud, indicating that the 10C sample is dominated by radio galaxies. This is in contrast to samples selected at lower frequencies, where radio-quiet AGN and star-forming galaxies are present in significant numbers at these flux density levels. All six radio-quiet sources have rising radio spectra, suggesting that they are dominated by AGN emission. These results confirm the conclusions of Paper I that the faint, flat-spectrum sources which are found to dominate the 10C sample below ˜1 mJy are the cores of radio galaxies. The properties of the 10C sample are compared to the Square Kilometre Array Design Studies Simulated Skies; a population of low-redshift star-forming galaxies predicted by the simulation is not found in the observed sample.

  13. Evidence for Ultra-Fast Outflows in Radio-Quiet AGNs. 2; Detailed Photoionization Modeling of Fe K-Shell Absorption Lines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tombesi, Francesco; Clapp, M.; Reeves, J. N.; Palumbo, G. G. C.; Braito, V.; Dadina, M.

    2011-01-01

    X-ray absorption line spectroscopy has recently shown evidence for previously unknown Ultra-fast Outflows (UFOs) in radio-quiet AGNs. In the previous paper of this series we defined UFOs as those absorbers with an outflow velocity higher than 10,000km/s and assessed the statistical significance of the associated blue shifted FeK absorption lines in a large sample of 42 local radio-quiet AGNs observed with XMM-Newton. In the present paper we report a detailed curve of growth analysis and directly model the FeK absorbers with the Xstar photo-ionization code. We confirm that the frequency of sources in the radio-quiet sample showing UFOs is >35%. The outflow velocity distribution spans from \\sim10,000km/s (\\sim0.03c) up to \\siml00,000kmis (\\sim0.3c), with a peak and mean value of\\sim42,000km/s (\\sim0.14c). The ionization parameter is very high and in the range log\\xi 3-6 erg s/cm, with a mean value of log\\xi 4.2 erg s/cm. The associated column densities are also large, in the range N_H\\siml0(exp 22)-10(exp 24)/sq cm, with a mean value of N_H\\siml0(exp23)/sq cm. We discuss and estimate how selection effects, such as those related to the limited instrumental sensitivity at energies above 7keV, may hamper the detection of even higher velocities and higher ionization absorbers. We argue that, overall, these results point to the presence of extremely ionized and possibly almost Compton thick outflowing material in the innermost regions of AGNs. This also suggests that UFOs may potentially play a significant role in the expected cosmological feedback from AGNs and their study can provide important clues on the connection between accretion disks, winds and jets.

  14. The MIXR sample or: how I learned to stop worrying and love multiwavelength catalogue cross-correlations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mingo, Beatriz; Watson, Mike; Stewart, Gordon; Rosen, Simon; Blain, Andrew; Hardcastle, Martin; Mateos, Silvia; Carrera, Francisco; Ruiz, Angel; Pineau, Francois-Xavier

    2016-08-01

    We cross-match 3XMM, WISE and FIRST/NVSS to create the largest-to-date mid-IR, X-ray, and radio (MIXR) sample of galaxies and AGN. We use MIXR to triage sources and efficiently and accurately pre-classify them as star-forming galaxies or AGN, and to highlight bias and shortcomings in current AGN sample selection methods, paving the way for the next generation of instruments. Our results highlight key questions in AGN science, such as the need for a re-definition of the radio-loud/radio-quiet classification, and our observed lack of correlation between the kinetic (jet) and radiative (luminosity) output in AGN, which has dramatic potential consequences on our current understanding of AGN accretion, variability and feedback.

  15. SUPPRESSION OF STAR FORMATION IN THE HOSTS OF LOW-EXCITATION RADIO GALAXIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pace, Cameron; Salim, Samir, E-mail: cameronpace@suu.edu, E-mail: salims@indiana.edu [Indiana University, Department of Astronomy, Swain Hall West 319, Bloomington, IN 47405-7105 (United States)

    2016-02-10

    The feedback from radio-loud active galactic nuclei (R-AGNs) may help maintain low star-formation (SF) rates in their early-type hosts, but the observational evidence for this mechanism has been inconclusive. We study systematic differences of aggregate spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of various subsets of ∼4000 low-redshift R-AGNs from Best and Heckman with respect to (currently) inactive control samples selected to have matching redshift, stellar mass, population age, axis ratio, and environment. Aggregate SEDs, ranging from the ultraviolet (UV) through mid-infrared (mid-IR, 22 μm), were constructed using a Bayesian method that eliminates biases from non-detections in Galaxy Evolution Explorer and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. We study rare high-excitation sources separately from low-excitation ones, which we split by environment and host properties. We find that both the UV and mid-IR emission of non-cluster R-AGNs (80% of sample) are suppressed by ∼0.2 dex relative to that of the control group, especially for moderately massive galaxies (log M{sub *} ≲ 11). The difference disappears for high-mass R-AGNs and for R-AGNs in clusters, where other, non-AGN quenching/maintenance mechanisms may dominate, or where the suppression of SF due to AGNs may persist between active phases of the central engine, perhaps because of the presence of a hot gaseous halo storing AGN energy. High-excitation (high accretion rate) sources, which make up 2% of the R-AGN sample, do not show any evidence of SF suppression (their UV is the same as in controls), but they exhibit a strong mid-IR excess due to AGN dust heating.

  16. Evidence for Ultra-Fast Outflows in Radio-Quiet AGNs: III - Location and Energetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tombesi, F.; Cappi, M.; Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V.

    2012-01-01

    Using the results of a previous X-ray photo-ionization modelling of blue-shifted Fe K absorption lines on a sample of 42 local radio-quiet AGNs observed with XMM-Newton, in this letter we estimate the location and energetics of the associated ultrafast outflows (UFOs). Due to significant uncertainties, we are essentially able to place only lower/upper limits. On average, their location is in the interval approx.0.0003-0.03pc (approx.10(exp 2)-10(exp 4)tau(sub s) from the central black hole, consistent with what is expected for accretion disk winds/outflows. The mass outflow rates are constrained between approx.0.01- 1 Stellar Mass/y, corresponding to approx. or >5-10% of the accretion rates. The average lower-upper limits on the mechanical power are logE(sub K) approx. or = 42.6-44.6 erg/s. However, the minimum possible value of the ratio between the mechanical power and bolometric luminosity is constrained to be comparable or higher than the minimum required by simulations of feedback induced by winds/outflows. Therefore, this work demonstrates that UFOs are indeed capable to provide a significant contribution to the AGN r.osmological feedback, in agreement with theoretical expectations and the recent observation of interactions between AGN outflows and the interstellar medium in several Seyferts galaxies .

  17. Evidence for ultra-fast outflows in radio-quiet AGNs: III - location and energetics

    OpenAIRE

    Tombesi, F.; Cappi, M.; Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V.

    2012-01-01

    Using the results of a previous X-ray photo-ionization modelling of blue-shifted Fe K absorption lines on a sample of 42 local radio-quiet AGNs observed with XMM-Newton, in this letter we estimate the location and energetics of the associated ultra-fast outflows (UFOs). Due to significant uncertainties, we are essentially able to place only lower/upper limits. On average, their location is in the interval ~0.0003-0.03pc (~10^2-10^4 r_s) from the central black hole, consistent with what is exp...

  18. Analysis of the correlation between γ-ray and radio emissions from γ-ray loud Blazar using the discrete correlation function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng Yong; Zhang Xiong; Wu Lin; Mao Weiming; You Lisha

    2006-01-01

    The authors collect 119 γ-ray-loud Blazar (97 flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and 22 BL Lacertae objects (BL Lac)), and investigate respectively the correlation between the γ-ray emission (maximum, minimum, and average data) at 1 GeV and the radio emission at 8.4 GHz by discrete correlation function (DCF) method. Our main results are as follows: there is good correlation between the γ-ray in high state and average state and radio emissions for the whole 119 Blazar and 97 FSRQs. And there are no correlation between γ-ray emission and radio emission in low state. Our result shows that the γ-rays are associated with the radio emission from the jet, and that the γ-ray emission is likely to have come from the synchrotron self-compton model (SSC) process in this case. (authors)

  19. ISOTROPIC LUMINOSITY INDICATORS IN A COMPLETE AGN SAMPLE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.; Rieke, George H.; Rigby, Jane R.

    2009-01-01

    The [O IV] λ25.89 μm line has been shown to be an accurate indicator of active galactic nucleus (AGN) intrinsic luminosity in that it correlates well with hard (10-200 keV) X-ray emission. We present measurements of [O IV] for 89 Seyfert galaxies from the unbiased revised Shapley-Ames (RSA) sample. The [O IV] luminosity distributions of obscured and unobscured Seyferts are indistinguishable, indicating that their intrinsic AGN luminosities are quite similar and that the RSA sample is well suited for tests of the unified model. In addition, we analyze several commonly used proxies for AGN luminosity, including [O III] λ5007 A, 6 cm radio, and 2-10 keV X-ray emission. We find that the radio luminosity distributions of obscured and unobscured AGNs show no significant difference, indicating that radio luminosity is a useful isotropic luminosity indicator. However, the observed [O III] and 2-10 keV luminosities are systematically smaller for obscured Seyferts, indicating that they are not emitted isotropically.

  20. Relativistic jets in narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies. New discoveries and open questions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D’Ammando F.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Before the launch of the Fermi satellite only two classes of AGNs were known to produce relativistic jets and thus emit up to the γ-ray energy range: blazars and radio galaxies, both hosted in giant elliptical galaxies. The first four years of observations by the Large Area Telescope on board Fermi confirmed that these two are the most numerous classes of identified sources in the extragalactic γ-ray sky, but the discovery of γ-ray emission from 5 radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies revealed the presence of a possible emerging third class of AGNs with relativistic jets. Considering that narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies seem to be typically hosted in spiral galaxy, this finding poses intriguing questions about the nature of these objects, the onset of production of relativistic jets, and the cosmological evolution of radio-loud AGN. Here, we discuss the radio-to-γ-rays properties of the γ-ray emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, also in comparison with the blazar scenario.

  1. Infrared-faint radio sources: a cosmological view. AGN number counts, the cosmic X-ray background and SMBH formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zinn, P.-C.; Middelberg, E.; Ibar, E.

    2011-07-01

    Context. Infrared-faint radio sources (IFRS) are extragalactic emitters clearly detected at radio wavelengths but barely detected or undetected at optical and infrared wavelengths, with 5σ sensitivities as low as 1 μJy. Aims: Spectral energy distribution (hereafter SED) modelling and analyses of their radio properties indicate that IFRS are consistent with a population of (potentially extremely obscured) high-redshift AGN at 3 ≤ z ≤ 6. We demonstrate some astrophysical implications of this population and compare them to predictions from models of galaxy evolution and structure formation. Methods: We compiled a list of IFRS from four deep extragalactic surveys and extrapolated the IFRS number density to a survey-independent value of (30.8 ± 15.0) deg-2. We computed the IFRS contribution to the total number of AGN in the Universe to account for the cosmic X-ray background. By estimating the black hole mass contained in IFRS, we present conclusions for the SMBH mass density in the early universe and compare it to relevant simulations of structure formation after the Big Bang. Results: The number density of AGN derived from the IFRS density was found to be ~310 deg-2, which is equivalent to a SMBH mass density of the order of 103 M⊙ Mpc-3 in the redshift range 3 ≤ z ≤ 6. This produces an X-ray flux of 9 × 10-16 W m-2 deg-2 in the 0.5-2.0 keV band and 3 × 10-15 W m-2 deg-2 in the 2.0-10 keV band, in agreement with the missing unresolved components of the Cosmic X-ray Background. To address SMBH formation after the Big Bang we invoke a scenario involving both halo gas accretion and major mergers.

  2. Star Formation Rates in Lyman Break Galaxies: Radio Stacking of LBGs in the COSMOS Field and the Sub-μJy Radio Source Population

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carilli, C. L.; Lee, Nicholas; Capak, P.; Schinnerer, E.; Lee, K.-S.; McCraken, H.; Yun, M. S.; Scoville, N.; Smolčić, V.; Giavalisco, M.; Datta, A.; Taniguchi, Y.; Urry, C. Megan

    2008-12-01

    We present an analysis of the radio properties of large samples of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at z ~ 3, 4, and 5 from the COSMOS field. The median stacking analysis yields a statistical detection of the z ~ 3 LBGs (U-band dropouts), with a 1.4 GHz flux density of 0.90 +/- 0.21 μJy. The stacked emission is unresolved, with a size = 3 is smaller than at lower redshifts. Conversely, the radio luminosity for a given star formation rate may be systematically lower at very high redshift. Two possible causes for a suppressed radio luminosity are (1) increased inverse Compton cooling of the relativistic electron population due to scattering off the increasing CMB at high redshift or (2) cosmic-ray diffusion from systematically smaller galaxies. The radio detections of individual sources are consistent with a radio-loud AGN fraction of 0.3%. One source is identified as a very dusty, extreme starburst galaxy (a "submillimeter galaxy"). Based on observations in the COSMOS Legacy Survey including those taken on the HST, Keck, NRAO-VLA, Subaru, KPNO 4 m, CTIO 4 m, and CFHT 3.6 m. The Very Large Array of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

  3. THE EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET DEFICIT AND MAGNETICALLY ARRESTED ACCRETION IN RADIO-LOUD QUASARS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Punsly, Brian, E-mail: brian.punsly1@verizon.net [1415 Granvia Altamira, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274 (United States); ICRANet, Piazza della Repubblica, I-65100 10 Pescara (Italy)

    2014-12-20

    The Hubble Space Telescope composite quasar spectra presented in Telfer et al. show a significant deficit of emission in the extreme ultraviolet for the radio-loud component of the quasar population (RLQs) compared to the radio-quiet component of the quasar population. The composite quasar continuum emission between 1100 Å and ∼580 Å is generally considered to be associated with the innermost regions of the accretion flow onto the central black hole. The deficit between 1100 Å and 580 Å in RLQs has a straightforward interpretation as a missing or a suppressed innermost region of local energy dissipation in the accretion flow. It is proposed that this can be the result of islands of large-scale magnetic flux in RLQs that are located close to the central black hole that remove energy from the accretion flow as Poynting flux (sometimes called magnetically arrested accretion). These magnetic islands are natural sites for launching relativistic jets. Based on the Telfer et al. data and the numerical simulations of accretion flows in Penna et al., the magnetic islands are concentrated between the event horizon and an outer boundary of <2.8 M (in geometrized units) for rapidly rotating black holes and <5.5 M for modestly rotating black holes.

  4. INTERFEROMETRIC MONITORING OF GAMMA-RAY BRIGHT AGNs. I. THE RESULTS OF SINGLE-EPOCH MULTIFREQUENCY OBSERVATIONS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Sang-Sung; Wajima, Kiyoaki; Algaba, Juan-Carlos; Zhao, Guang-Yao; Hodgson, Jeffrey A.; Byun, Do-Young; Kang, Sincheol; Kim, Soon-Wook; Kino, Motoki [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeok-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34055 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Dae-Won; Park, Jongho; Kim, Jae-Young; Trippe, Sascha [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826 (Korea, Republic of); Miyazaki, Atsushi [Japan Space Forum, 3-2-1, Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0062 Japan (Japan); Kim, Jeong-Sook, E-mail: sslee@kasi.re.kr [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2211 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 1818588 (Japan)

    2016-11-01

    We present results of single-epoch very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of gamma-ray bright active galactic nuclei (AGNs) using the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) at the 22, 43, 86, and 129 GHz bands, which are part of a KVN key science program, Interferometric Monitoring of Gamma-Ray Bright AGNs. We selected a total of 34 radio-loud AGNs of which 30 sources are gamma-ray bright AGNs with flux densities of >6 × 10{sup −10} ph cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}. Single-epoch multifrequency VLBI observations of the target sources were conducted during a 24 hr session on 2013 November 19 and 20. All observed sources were detected and imaged at all frequency bands, with or without a frequency phase transfer technique, which enabled the imaging of 12 faint sources at 129 GHz, except for one source. Many of the target sources are resolved on milliarcsecond scales, yielding a core-jet structure, with the VLBI core dominating the synchrotron emission on a milliarcsecond scale. CLEAN flux densities of the target sources are 0.43–28 Jy, 0.32–21 Jy, 0.18–11 Jy, and 0.35–8.0 Jy in the 22, 43, 86, and 129 GHz bands, respectively. Spectra of the target sources become steeper at higher frequency, with spectral index means of −0.40, −0.62, and −1.00 in the 22–43 GHz, 43–86 GHz and 86–129 GHz bands, respectively, implying that the target sources become optically thin at higher frequencies (e.g., 86–129 GHz).

  5. AGN feedback compared: jets versus radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cielo, Salvatore; Bieri, Rebekka; Volonteri, Marta; Wagner, Alexander Y.; Dubois, Yohan

    2018-06-01

    Feedback by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is often divided into quasar and radio mode, powered by radiation or radio jets, respectively. Both are fundamental in galaxy evolution, especially in late-type galaxies, as shown by cosmological simulations and observations of jet-ISM (interstellar medium) interactions in these systems. We compare AGN feedback by radiation and by collimated jets through a suite of simulations, in which a central AGN interacts with a clumpy, fractal galactic disc. We test AGNs of 1043 and 1046 erg s-1, considering jets perpendicular or parallel to the disc. Mechanical jets drive the more powerful outflows, exhibiting stronger mass and momentum coupling with the dense gas, while radiation heats and rarefies the gas more. Radiation and perpendicular jets evolve to be quite similar in outflow properties and effect on the cold ISM, while inclined jets interact more efficiently with all the disc gas, removing the densest 20 {per cent} in 20 Myr, and thereby reducing the amount of cold gas available for star formation. All simulations show small-scale inflows of 0.01-0.1 M⊙ yr-1, which can easily reach down to the Bondi radius of the central supermassive black hole (especially for radiation and perpendicular jets), implying that AGNs modulate their own duty cycle in a feedback/feeding cycle.

  6. X-ray study of a sample of FR0 radio galaxies: unveiling the nature of the central engine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torresi, E.; Grandi, P.; Capetti, A.; Baldi, R. D.; Giovannini, G.

    2018-06-01

    Fanaroff-Riley type 0 radio galaxies (FR0s) are compact radio sources that represent the bulk of the radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) population, but they are still poorly understood. Pilot studies on these sources have been already performed at radio and optical wavelengths: here we present the first X-ray study of a sample of 19 FR0 radio galaxies selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey/NRAO VLA Sky Survey/Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-cm sample of Best & Heckman, with redshift ≤0.15, radio size ≤10 kpc, and optically classified as low-excitation galaxies. The X-ray spectra are modelled with a power-law component absorbed by Galactic column density with, in some cases, a contribution from thermal extended gas. The X-ray photons are likely produced by the jet as attested by the observed correlation between X-ray (2-10 keV) and radio (5 GHz) luminosities, similar to Fanaroff-Riley type I radio galaxies (FRIs). The estimated Eddington-scaled luminosities indicate a low accretion rate. Overall, we find that the X-ray properties of FR0s are indistinguishable from those of FRIs, thus adding another similarity between AGN associated with compact and extended radio sources. A comparison between FR0s and low-luminosity BL Lacs rules out important beaming effects in the X-ray emission of the compact radio galaxies. FR0s have different X-ray properties with respect to young radio sources (e.g. gigahertz-peaked spectrum/compact steep spectrum sources), generally characterized by higher X-ray luminosities and more complex spectra. In conclusion, the paucity of extended radio emission in FR0s is probably related to the intrinsic properties of their jets that prevent the formation of extended structures, and/or to intermittent activity of their engines.

  7. Jet Physics of Accreting Super-Massive Black Holes in the Era of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    D' Ammando, Filippo, E-mail: dammando@ira.inaf.it [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Universitá di Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Istituto di Radioastronomia (INAF), Bologna (Italy)

    2017-11-28

    The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope with its main instrument on-board, the Large Area Telescope (LAT), opened a new era in the study of high-energy emission from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). When combined with contemporaneous ground- and space-based observations, Fermi-LAT achieves its full capability to characterize the jet structure and the emission mechanisms at work in radio-loud AGN with different black hole mass and accretion rate, from flat spectrum radio quasars to narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLSy1) galaxies. Here, I discuss important findings regarding the blazar population included in the third LAT catalog of AGN and the γ-ray emitting NLSy1. Moreover, the detection of blazars at redshift beyond three in γ rays allows us to constrain the growth and evolution of heavy black holes over cosmic time, suggesting that the radio-loud phase may be important for a fast black hole growth in the early Universe. Finally, results on extragalactic objects from the third catalog of hard LAT sources are presented.

  8. Jet Physics of Accreting Super-Massive Black Holes in the Era of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filippo D'Ammando

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope with its main instrument on-board, the Large Area Telescope (LAT, opened a new era in the study of high-energy emission from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN. When combined with contemporaneous ground- and space-based observations, Fermi-LAT achieves its full capability to characterize the jet structure and the emission mechanisms at work in radio-loud AGN with different black hole mass and accretion rate, from flat spectrum radio quasars to narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLSy1 galaxies. Here, I discuss important findings regarding the blazar population included in the third LAT catalog of AGN and the γ-ray emitting NLSy1. Moreover, the detection of blazars at redshift beyond three in γ rays allows us to constrain the growth and evolution of heavy black holes over cosmic time, suggesting that the radio-loud phase may be important for a fast black hole growth in the early Universe. Finally, results on extragalactic objects from the third catalog of hard LAT sources are presented.

  9. Milliarcsecond Imaging of the Radio Emission from the Quasar with the Most Massive Black Hole at Reionization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Ran; Wu, Xue-Bing; Jiang, Linhua [Kavli Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871 (China); Momjian, Emmanuel; Carilli, Chris L. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box 0, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States); Fan, Xiaohui [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Walter, Fabian [Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy, Königsstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Strauss, Michael A. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Wang, Feige [Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871 (China)

    2017-02-01

    We report Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of the 1.5 GHz radio continuum emission of the z = 6.326 quasar SDSS J010013.02+280225.8 (hereafter J0100+2802). J0100+2802 is by far the most optically luminous and is a radio-quiet quasar with the most massive black hole known at z > 6. The VLBA observations have a synthesized beam size of 12.10 mas ×5.36 mas (FWHM), and detected the radio continuum emission from this object with a peak surface brightness of 64.6 ± 9.0 μ Jy beam{sup −1} and a total flux density of 88 ± 19 μ Jy. The position of the radio peak is consistent with that from SDSS in the optical and Chandra in the X-ray. The radio source is marginally resolved by the VLBA observations. A 2D Gaussian fit to the image constrains the source size to (7.1 ± 3.5) mas × (3.1 ± 1.7) mas. This corresponds to a physical scale of (40 ± 20) pc × (18 ± 10) pc. We estimate the intrinsic brightness temperature of the VLBA source to be T {sub B} = (1.6 ± 1.2) × 10{sup 7} K. This is significantly higher than the maximum value in normal star-forming galaxies, indicating an active galactic nucleus (AGN) origin for the radio continuum emission. However, it is also significantly lower than the brightness temperatures found in highest-redshift radio-loud quasars. J0100+2802 provides a unique example for studying the radio activity in optically luminous and radio-quiet AGNs in the early universe. Further observations at multiple radio frequencies will accurately measure the spectral index and address the dominant radiation mechanism of the radio emission.

  10. AN X-RAY VIEW OF THE JET CYCLE IN THE RADIO-LOUD AGN 3C120

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lohfink, Anne M.; Reynolds, Christopher S.; Mushotzky, Richard F.; Tombesi, Francesco [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2421 (United States); Jorstad, Svetlana G.; Marscher, Alan P. [Institute for Astrophysical Research, Boston University, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Miller, Eric D.; Nowak, Michael A. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kavli Institute for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Aller, Hugh; Aller, Margo F.; Miller, Jon M. [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 830 Dennison Building, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1042 (United States); Brenneman, Laura W. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA (United States); Fabian, Andrew C., E-mail: alohfink@astro.umd.edu [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom)

    2013-08-01

    We present a study of the central engine in the broad-line radio galaxy 3C120 using a multi-epoch analysis of a deep XMM-Newton observation and two deep Suzaku pointings (in 2012). In order to place our spectral data into the context of the disk-disruption/jet-ejection cycles displayed by this object, we monitor the source in the UV/X-ray bands, and in the radio band. We find three statistically acceptable spectral models: a disk-reflection model, a jet model, and a jet+disk model. Despite being good descriptions of the data, the disk-reflection model violates the radio constraints on the inclination, and the jet model has a fine-tuning problem, requiring a jet contribution exceeding that expected. Thus, we argue for a composite jet+disk model. Within the context of this model, we verify the basic predictions of the jet-cycle paradigm, finding a truncated/refilling disk during the Suzaku observations and a complete disk extending down to the innermost stable circular orbit during the XMM-Newton observation. The idea of a refilling disk is further supported by the detection of the ejection of a new jet knot approximately one month after the Suzaku pointings. We also discover a step-like event in one of the Suzaku pointings in which the soft band lags the hard band. We suggest that we are witnessing the propagation of a disturbance from the disk into the jet on a timescale set by the magnetic field.

  11. Stellar Photometric Structures of the Host Galaxies of Nearby Type 1 Active Galactic Nuclei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Minjin [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Ho, Luis C. [Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Peng, Chien Y. [Giant Magellan Telescope Corporation, 251 S. Lake Ave., Suite 300, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); Barth, Aaron J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California at Irvine, 4129 Frederick Reines Hall, Irvine, CA 92697-4575 (United States); Im, Myungshin, E-mail: mkim@kasi.re.kr, E-mail: lho.pku@gmail.com, E-mail: peng@gmto.org, E-mail: barth@uci.edu, E-mail: mim@astro.snu.ac.kr [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Frontier Physics Research Division (FPRD), Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-10-01

    We present detailed image analysis of rest-frame optical images of 235 low-redshift ( z ≲ 0.35) Type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) observed with the Hubble Space Telescope . The high-resolution images enable us to perform rigorous two-dimensional image modeling to decouple the luminous central point source from the host galaxy, which, when warranted, is further decomposed into its principal structural components (bulge, bar, and disk). In many cases, care must be taken to account for structural complexities such as spiral arms, tidal features, and overlapping or interacting companion galaxies. We employ Fourier modes to characterize the degree of asymmetry of the light distribution of the stars as a quantitative measure of morphological distortion due to interactions or mergers. We examine the dependence of the physical parameters of the host galaxies on the properties of the AGNs, namely, radio-loudness and the width of the broad emission lines. In accordance with previous studies, narrow-line (H β FWHM ≤ 2000 km s{sup −1}) Type 1 AGNs, in contrast to their broad-line (H β FWHM > 2000 km s{sup −1}) counterparts, are preferentially hosted in later-type, lower-luminosity galaxies, which have a higher incidence of pseudo-bulges, are more frequently barred, and are less morphologically disturbed. This suggests that narrow-line Type 1 AGNs experienced a more quiescent evolutionary history driven primarily by internal secular evolution instead of external dynamical perturbations. The fraction of AGN hosts showing merger signatures is larger for more luminous sources. Radio-loud AGNs generally preferentially live in earlier-type (bulge-dominated), more massive hosts, although a minority of them appear to contain a significant disk component. We do not find convincing evidence for enhanced merger signatures in the radio-loud population.

  12. Intraday X-Ray Variability of QSOs/AGN Using the Chandra Archives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tartamella, C.; Busche, J.

    2005-05-01

    X-ray variability is a common characteristic of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), and it can be used to probe the nuclear region at short time scales. Quantitative analysis of this variability has been difficult due to low signal-to-noise ratios and short time baselines, but serendipitous Chandra data acquired within the last six years have opened the door to such analysis. Cross-correlation of the Chandra archives with QSO/AGN catalogs on NASA's HEASARC website (e.g. Veron, Sloan) yields a sample of 50+ objects that satisfy the following criteria: absolute magnitude M≤ -22.5, proper time baselines greater than 2 hours, and count rates leading to 10% error bars for 8+ flux points on the light curve. The sample includes a range of red-shifts, magnitudes, and type (e.g. radio loud, radio quiet), and hence may yield empirical clues about luminosity or evolutionary trends. As a beginning of such analysis, we present 11 light curves for 9 objects for which the exposure time was greater than 10 hours. The variability was analyzed using three different statistical methods. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test proved to be impractical because of the unavoidably small number of data points and the simplistic nature of the test. A χ2 test indicated in most cases that there were significant departures from constant brightness (as expected). Autocorrelation plots were also generated for each light curve. With more work and a larger sample size, these plots can be used to identify any trends in the lightcurve such as whether the variability is stochastic or periodic in nature. This test was useful even with the small number of datapoints available. In future work, more sophisticated analyses based on Fourier series, power density spectra, or wavelets are likely to yield more meaningful and useful results.

  13. The extreme behavior of the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy J0849+5108

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maune, Jeremy D.; Eggen, Joseph R.; Miller, H. Richard; Marshall, Kevin; Readhead, Anthony C. S.; Hovatta, Talvikki; King, Oliver

    2014-01-01

    Simultaneous radio, optical (both photometry and polarimetry), X-ray, and γ-ray observations of the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (RL-NLSy1) galaxy J0849+5108 are presented. A massive three-magnitude optical flare across five nights in 2013 April is detected, along with associated flux increases in the γ-ray, infrared, and radio regimes; no comparable event was detected in the X-rays, though this may be due to poor coverage. A spectral energy distribution (SED) for the object using quasi-simultaneous data centered on the optical flare is compared to the previously published SEDs for the object by D'Ammando et al. The flare event coincided with a high degree of optical polarization. High amplitude optical microvariability is clearly detected, and is found to be of comparable amplitude when the object is observed in both faint and bright states. The object is also seen to undergo rapid shifts in polarization in both degree and electric vector position angle within a single night. J0849+5108 appears to show even more extreme variability than that previously reported for the similar object J0948+0022. These observations appear to support the growing claim that some RL-NLSy1 galaxies constitute a sub-class of blazar-like active galactic nuclei.

  14. The extreme behavior of the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy J0849+5108

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maune, Jeremy D.; Eggen, Joseph R.; Miller, H. Richard [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303-3083 (United States); Marshall, Kevin [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Widener University, Chester, PA 19013 (United States); Readhead, Anthony C. S.; Hovatta, Talvikki; King, Oliver, E-mail: maune@chara.gsu.edu [Cahill Laboratory of Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

    2014-10-10

    Simultaneous radio, optical (both photometry and polarimetry), X-ray, and γ-ray observations of the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (RL-NLSy1) galaxy J0849+5108 are presented. A massive three-magnitude optical flare across five nights in 2013 April is detected, along with associated flux increases in the γ-ray, infrared, and radio regimes; no comparable event was detected in the X-rays, though this may be due to poor coverage. A spectral energy distribution (SED) for the object using quasi-simultaneous data centered on the optical flare is compared to the previously published SEDs for the object by D'Ammando et al. The flare event coincided with a high degree of optical polarization. High amplitude optical microvariability is clearly detected, and is found to be of comparable amplitude when the object is observed in both faint and bright states. The object is also seen to undergo rapid shifts in polarization in both degree and electric vector position angle within a single night. J0849+5108 appears to show even more extreme variability than that previously reported for the similar object J0948+0022. These observations appear to support the growing claim that some RL-NLSy1 galaxies constitute a sub-class of blazar-like active galactic nuclei.

  15. AGN Feedback Compared: Jets versus Radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cielo, Salvatore; Bieri, Rebekka; Volonteri, Marta; Wagner, Alexander Y.; Dubois, Yohan

    2018-03-01

    Feedback by Active Galactic Nuclei is often divided into quasar and radio mode, powered by radiation or radio jets, respectively. Both are fundamental in galaxy evolution, especially in late-type galaxies, as shown by cosmological simulations and observations of jet-ISM interactions in these systems. We compare AGN feedback by radiation and by collimated jets through a suite of simulations, in which a central AGN interacts with a clumpy, fractal galactic disc. We test AGN of 1043 and 1046 erg/s, considering jets perpendicular or parallel to the disc. Mechanical jets drive the more powerful outflows, exhibiting stronger mass and momentum coupling with the dense gas, while radiation heats and rarifies the gas more. Radiation and perpendicular jets evolve to be quite similar in outflow properties and effect on the cold ISM, while inclined jets interact more efficiently with all the disc gas, removing the densest 20% in 20 Myr, and thereby reducing the amount of cold gas available for star formation. All simulations show small-scale inflows of 0.01 - 0.1 M⊙/yr, which can easily reach down to the Bondi radius of the central supermassive black hole (especially for radiation and perpendicular jets), implying that AGN modulate their own duty cycle in a feedback/feeding cycle.

  16. RESOLVING THE GEOMETRY OF THE INNERMOST RELATIVISTIC JETS IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Algaba, J. C.; Lee, S. S. [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776, Daedeokdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Nakamura, M.; Asada, K., E-mail: algaba@kasi.re.kr [Academia Sinica, Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building, AS/NTU. No.1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, R.O.C (China)

    2017-01-01

    In the current paradigm, it is believed that the compact VLBI radio core of radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) represents the innermost upstream regions of relativistic outflows. These regions of AGN jets have generally been modeled by a conical outflow with a roughly constant opening angle and flow speed. Nonetheless, some works suggest that a parabolic geometry would be more appropriate to fit the high energy spectral distribution properties and it has been recently found that, at least in some nearby radio galaxies, the geometry of the innermost regions of the jet is parabolic. We compile here multi-frequency core sizes of archival data to investigate the typically unresolved upstream regions of the jet geometry of a sample of 56 radio-loud AGNs. Data combined from the sources considered here are not consistent with the classic picture of a conical jet starting in the vicinity of the super-massive black hole (SMBH), and may exclude a pure parabolic outflow solution, but rather suggest an intermediate solution with quasi-parabolic streams, which are frequently seen in numerical simulations. Inspection of the large opening angles near the SMBH and the range of the Lorentz factors derived from our results support our analyses. Our result suggests that the conical jet paradigm in AGNs needs to be re-examined by millimeter/sub-millimeter VLBI observations.

  17. The Many Routes to AGN Feedback

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morganti, Raffaella, E-mail: morganti@astron.nl [ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Dwingeloo (Netherlands); Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen (Netherlands)

    2017-11-29

    The energy released by Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) in the form of radiation, winds, or radio plasma jets, is known to impact on the surrounding interstellar medium. The result of these processes, known as AGN (negative) feedback, is suggested to prevent gas, in and around galaxies, from cooling, and to remove, or at least redistribute, gas by driving massive and fast outflows, hence playing a key role in galaxy evolution. Given its importance, a large effort is devoted by the astronomical community to trace the effects of AGN on the surrounding gaseous medium and to quantify their impact for different types of AGN. This review briefly summarizes some of the recent observational results obtained in different wavebands, tracing different phases of the gas. I also summarize the new insights they have brought, and the constraints they provide to numerical simulations of galaxy formation and evolution. The recent addition of deep observations of cold gas and, in particular, of cold molecular gas, has brought some interesting surprises and has expanded our understanding of AGN and AGN feedback.

  18. The many routes to AGN feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morganti, Raffaella

    2017-11-01

    The energy released by Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) in the form of radiation, winds or radio plasma jets, is known to impact on the surrounding interstellar medium. The result of these processes, known as AGN (negative) feedback, is suggested to prevent gas, in and around galaxies, from cooling, and to remove, or at least redistribute, gas by driving massive and fast outflows, hence playing a key role in galaxy evolution. Given its importance, a large effort is devoted by the astronomical community to trace the effects of AGN on the surrounding gaseous medium and to quantify their impact for different types of AGN. This review briefly summarizes some of the recent observational results obtained in different wavebands, tracing different phases of the gas. I also summarise new insights they have brought, and the constraints they provide to numerical simulations of galaxy formation and evolution. The recent addition of deep observations of cold gas and, in particular, of cold molecular gas, has brought some interesting surprises and has expanded our understanding of AGN and AGN feedback.

  19. AGN Feedback and Its Quenching Efficiency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Combes, Francoise, E-mail: francoise.combes@obspm.fr [Observatoire de Paris, LERMA, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, College de France, PSL, Sorbonne University UPMC, Paris (France)

    2017-09-21

    In the last decade, observations have accumulated on gas outflows in galaxies, and in particular massive molecular ones. The mass outflow rate is estimated between 1 and 5 times the star formation rate. For the highest maximal velocities, they are driven by AGN; these outflows are therefore a clear way to moderate or suppress star formation. Some of the most convincing examples at low redshift come from the radio mode, when the radio jets are inclined toward the galaxy plane, or expand in the hot intra-cluster medium, in cool core clusters. However, AGN feedback can also be positive in many occasions, and the net effect is difficult to evaluate. The quenching efficiency is discussed in view of recent observations.

  20. Fermi monitoring of radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paliya, Vaidehi S.; Stalin, C. S. [Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Block II, Koramangala, Bangalore-560034 (India); Ravikumar, C. D., E-mail: vaidehi@iiap.res.in [Department of Physics, University of Calicut, Malappuram-673635 (India)

    2015-02-01

    We present detailed analysis of the γ-ray flux variability and spectral properties of the five radio-loud narrow line Seyfert 1 (RL-NLSy1) galaxies, detected by the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, namely 1H 0323+342, SBS 0846+513, PMN J0948+0022, PKS 1502+036, and PKS 2004−447. The first three sources show significant flux variations, including the rapid variability of a few hours by 1H 0323+342. The average γ-ray spectrum of 1H 0323+342 and PMN J0948+0022 shows deviation from a simple power-law (PL) behavior, whereas the PL model gives a better fit for the other three sources. The spectra of 1H 0323+342, SBS 0846+513, and PMN J0948+0022, which are in low, flaring, and moderately active states, respectively, show significant curvature. Such curvature in the γ-ray spectrum of 1H 0323+342 and PMN J0948+0022 could be due to the emission region located inside the broad line region (BLR) where the primary mechanism of the γ-ray emission is inverse-Compton (IC) scattering of BLR photons occurring in the Klein–Nishina regime. The γ-ray emission of SBS 0846+513 is explained by IC scattering of dusty torus photons, which puts the emission region outside the BLR and thus under the Thomson regime. Therefore, the observed curvature of SBS 0846+513 could be intrinsic to the particle energy distribution. The presence of curvature in the γ-ray spectrum and flux variability amplitudes of some of the RL-NLSy1 galaxies suggests that these sources could be akin to low/moderate jet power flat spectrum radio quasars.

  1. Fermi monitoring of radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paliya, Vaidehi S.; Stalin, C. S.; Ravikumar, C. D.

    2015-01-01

    We present detailed analysis of the γ-ray flux variability and spectral properties of the five radio-loud narrow line Seyfert 1 (RL-NLSy1) galaxies, detected by the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, namely 1H 0323+342, SBS 0846+513, PMN J0948+0022, PKS 1502+036, and PKS 2004−447. The first three sources show significant flux variations, including the rapid variability of a few hours by 1H 0323+342. The average γ-ray spectrum of 1H 0323+342 and PMN J0948+0022 shows deviation from a simple power-law (PL) behavior, whereas the PL model gives a better fit for the other three sources. The spectra of 1H 0323+342, SBS 0846+513, and PMN J0948+0022, which are in low, flaring, and moderately active states, respectively, show significant curvature. Such curvature in the γ-ray spectrum of 1H 0323+342 and PMN J0948+0022 could be due to the emission region located inside the broad line region (BLR) where the primary mechanism of the γ-ray emission is inverse-Compton (IC) scattering of BLR photons occurring in the Klein–Nishina regime. The γ-ray emission of SBS 0846+513 is explained by IC scattering of dusty torus photons, which puts the emission region outside the BLR and thus under the Thomson regime. Therefore, the observed curvature of SBS 0846+513 could be intrinsic to the particle energy distribution. The presence of curvature in the γ-ray spectrum and flux variability amplitudes of some of the RL-NLSy1 galaxies suggests that these sources could be akin to low/moderate jet power flat spectrum radio quasars.

  2. COST meeting - Polarization and AGN II - Abstracts and slides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kishimoto, M.; Rouan, D.; Tadhunter, C.; Lopez Rodriguez, E.; Braibant, L.; Pasetto, A.; Matt, G.; Afanasiev, V.; Lira, P.; Hutsemekers, D.; Sluse, D.; Marin, F.; Tamborra, F.; Yankova, K.; Laing, R.; Lico, R.; Agudo, I.; Hovatta, T.; Jermak, H.; Chen, X.; Myserlis, I.; Cellone, S.A.; Chidiac, C.; Chakraborty, N.; Bozhilov, V.

    2016-01-01

    This meeting is the 2. COST workshop on Polarization and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Accreting supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei are the most powerful, long-lasting sources in the universe. Emitting over ten orders of magnitude in photon energy or more, the radiation of AGN encodes information about a multitude of astrophysical processes: accretion, thermal and non-thermal radiative transfer, acceleration of outflows and jets, shock physics, special and general relativity. Observationally, AGN appear as numerous types and polarization studies have played a key role in establishing the idea of a unifying AGN geometry. The topics covered at the meeting include the following: 1) Polarimetry of AGN from the radio to gamma-rays; 2) Tools for modeling and data analysis of AGN polarization; 3) Polarization due to magnetic fields and dust in AGN; 4) Polarization of AGN inflows, outflows and jets; 5) Spectropolarimetry and polarization variability of AGN; and 6) From Sgr A* to the most luminous quasars: what can polarimetry do for AGN (super-)unification? This document is made up of the abstracts and slides of the presentations

  3. Imaging AGN Feedback in NGC 3393 with CHEERS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paggi, Alessandro; Maksym, W. Peter; Fabbiano, Giuseppina; Elvis, Martin; Karovska, Margarita; Wang, Junfeng; Storchi-Bergmann, Thaisa

    2016-04-01

    The CHandra Extended Emission-line Region Survey (CHEERS) is the 'ultimate' resolution X-ray imaging survey of nearby far-IR selected AGN. By comparing deep Chandra observations with complementary HST and radio data, we investigate the morphology of the extended narrow-line region on scales of <100 pc. We present new results on the gas surrounding the compton-thick AGN NGC 3393. The luminous extended narrow-line X-ray emission from this gas allows us to study the role and extent of AGN feedback as sub-kpc jets interact with the surrounding ISM.

  4. OPTICAL MONITORING OF THE BROAD-LINE RADIO GALAXY 3C 390.3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dietrich, Matthias; Peterson, Bradley M.; Grier, Catherine J.; Bentz, Misty C.; Eastman, Jason; Frank, Stephan; Gonzalez, Raymond; Marshall, Jennifer L.; DePoy, Darren L.; Prieto, Jose L.

    2012-01-01

    hole masses indicated by simple accretion disk models to describe the observed double-peaked profiles, derived from the stellar dynamics of 3C 390.3, and with the AGN radius-luminosity relation. Thus, 3C 390.3 as a radio-loud AGN with a low Eddington ratio, L edd /L bol = 0.02, follows the same AGN radius-luminosity relation as radio-quiet AGNs.

  5. The peculiar radio-loud narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0323+342

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paliya, Vaidehi S.; Stalin, C. S. [Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Block-II, Koramangala, Bangalore-560034 (India); Sahayanathan, S. [Astrophysical Science Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai-400085 (India); Parker, M. L.; Fabian, A. C. [Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Anjum, Ayesha [Department of Physics, Christ University, Bangalore-560029 (India); Pandey, S. B., E-mail: vaidehi@iiap.res.in [Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Manora peak, Nainital-263129 (India)

    2014-07-10

    We present a multiwavelength study of the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLSy1) 1H 0323+342, detected by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. Multiband light curves show many orphan X-ray and optical flares having no corresponding γ-ray counterparts. Such anomalous variability behavior can be due to different locations of the emission region from the central source. During a large flare, a γ-ray flux doubling timescale as small as ∼3 hr is noticed. We built spectral energy distributions (SEDs) during different activity states and modeled them using a one-zone leptonic model. The shape of the optical/UV component of the SEDs is dominated by accretion disk emission in all the activity states. In the X-ray band, significant thermal emission from the hot corona is inferred during quiescent and first flaring states; however, during subsequent flares, the nonthermal jet component dominates. The γ-ray emission in all the states can be well explained by inverse-Compton scattering of accretion disk photons reprocessed by the broad-line region. The source showed violent intra-night optical variability, coinciding with one of the high γ-ray activity states. An analysis of the overall X-ray spectrum fitted with an absorbed power-law plus relativistic reflection component hints at the presence of an Fe Kα line and returns a high black hole spin value of a = 0.96 ± 0.14. We argue that 1H 0323+342 possesses dual characteristics, akin to both flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and radio-quiet NLSy1 galaxies, though at a low jet power regime compared to powerful FSRQs.

  6. Stellar Photometric Structures of the Host Galaxies of Nearby Type 1 Active Galactic Nuclei

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Minjin; Ho, Luis C.; Peng, Chien Y.; Barth, Aaron J.; Im, Myungshin

    2017-10-01

    We present detailed image analysis of rest-frame optical images of 235 low-redshift (z ≲ 0.35) Type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. The high-resolution images enable us to perform rigorous two-dimensional image modeling to decouple the luminous central point source from the host galaxy, which, when warranted, is further decomposed into its principal structural components (bulge, bar, and disk). In many cases, care must be taken to account for structural complexities such as spiral arms, tidal features, and overlapping or interacting companion galaxies. We employ Fourier modes to characterize the degree of asymmetry of the light distribution of the stars as a quantitative measure of morphological distortion due to interactions or mergers. We examine the dependence of the physical parameters of the host galaxies on the properties of the AGNs, namely, radio-loudness and the width of the broad emission lines. In accordance with previous studies, narrow-line (Hβ FWHM ≤ 2000 km s-1) Type 1 AGNs, in contrast to their broad-line (Hβ FWHM > 2000 km s-1) counterparts, are preferentially hosted in later-type, lower-luminosity galaxies, which have a higher incidence of pseudo-bulges, are more frequently barred, and are less morphologically disturbed. This suggests that narrow-line Type 1 AGNs experienced a more quiescent evolutionary history driven primarily by internal secular evolution instead of external dynamical perturbations. The fraction of AGN hosts showing merger signatures is larger for more luminous sources. Radio-loud AGNs generally preferentially live in earlier-type (bulge-dominated), more massive hosts, although a minority of them appear to contain a significant disk component. We do not find convincing evidence for enhanced merger signatures in the radio-loud population. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained from the Data Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute

  7. Statistical analysis of COMPTEL maximum likelihood-ratio distributions: evidence for a signal from previously undetected AGN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, O. R.; Bennett, K.; Much, R.; Schoenfelder, V.; Blom, J. J.; Ryan, J.

    1997-01-01

    The maximum likelihood-ratio method is frequently used in COMPTEL analysis to determine the significance of a point source at a given location. In this paper we do not consider whether the likelihood-ratio at a particular location indicates a detection, but rather whether distributions of likelihood-ratios derived from many locations depart from that expected for source free data. We have constructed distributions of likelihood-ratios by reading values from standard COMPTEL maximum-likelihood ratio maps at positions corresponding to the locations of different categories of AGN. Distributions derived from the locations of Seyfert galaxies are indistinguishable, according to a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, from those obtained from ''random'' locations, but differ slightly from those obtained from the locations of flat spectrum radio loud quasars, OVVs, and BL Lac objects. This difference is not due to known COMPTEL sources, since regions near these sources are excluded from the analysis. We suggest that it might arise from a number of sources with fluxes below the COMPTEL detection threshold

  8. Density profile of dark matter haloes and galaxies in the HORIZON-AGN simulation: the impact of AGN feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peirani, Sébastien; Dubois, Yohan; Volonteri, Marta; Devriendt, Julien; Bundy, Kevin; Silk, Joe; Pichon, Christophe; Kaviraj, Sugata; Gavazzi, Raphaël; Habouzit, Mélanie

    2017-12-01

    Using a suite of three large cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, HORIZON-AGN, HORIZON–NOAGN (no AGN feedback) and HORIZON-DM (no baryons), we investigate how a typical sub-grid model for AGN feedback affects the evolution of the inner density profiles of massive dark matter haloes and galaxies. Based on direct object-to-object comparisons, we find that the integrated inner mass and density slope differences between objects formed in these three simulations (hereafter, HAGN, HnoAGN and HDM) significantly evolve with time. More specifically, at high redshift (z ∼ 5), the mean central density profiles of HAGN and HnoAGN dark matter haloes tend to be much steeper than their HDM counterparts owing to the rapidly growing baryonic component and ensuing adiabatic contraction. By z ∼ 1.5, these mean halo density profiles in HAGN have flattened, pummelled by powerful AGN activity ('quasar mode'): the integrated inner mass difference gaps with HnoAGN haloes have widened, and those with HDM haloes have narrowed. Fast forward 9.5 billion years, down to z = 0, and the trend reverses: HAGN halo mean density profiles drift back to a more cusped shape as AGN feedback efficiency dwindles ('radio mode'), and the gaps in integrated central mass difference with HnoAGN and HDM close and broaden, respectively. On the galaxy side, the story differs noticeably. Averaged stellar profile central densities and inner slopes are monotonically reduced by AGN activity as a function of cosmic time, resulting in better agreement with local observations.

  9. Temporal integration of loudness, loudness discrimination, and the form of the loudness function

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buus, Søren; Florentine, Mary; Poulsen, Torben

    1997-01-01

    Temporal integration for loudness of 5-kHz tones was measured as a function of level between 2 and 60 dB SL. Absolute thresholds and levels required to produce equal loudness were measured for 2-, 10-, 50- and 250-ms tones using adaptive, two interval, two alternative forced choice procedures....... The procedure for loudness balances is new and obtained concurrent measurements for ten tone pairs in ten interleaved tracks. Each track converged at the level required to make the variable stimulus just louder than the fixed stimulus. Thus, the data yield estimates of the just noticeable difference...... for loudness level andtemporal integration for loudness. Results for four listeners show that the amount of temporal integration, defined as the level difference between equally loud short and long tones, varies markedly with level and is largest at moderate levels. The effect of level increases...

  10. The Suzaku Observation of the Nucleus of theRadio-Loud Active Galaxy Centaurus A: Constraints on Abundances of the Accreting Material

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Markowitz, A.; Takahashi, T.; Watanabe, S.; Nakazawa, K.; Fukazawa, Y.; Kokubun, M.; Makishima, K.; Awaki, H.; Bamba, A.; Isobe, N.; Kataoka, J.; Madejski, G.; Mushotzky,; Okajima, T.; Ptak, A.; Reeves, J.N.; Ueda, Y.; Yamasaki, T.; Yaqoob, T.

    2007-06-27

    A Suzaku observation of the nucleus of the radio-loud AGN Centaurus A in 2005 has yielded a broadband spectrum spanning 0.3 to 250 keV. The net exposure times after screening were: 70 ks per X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) camera, 60.8 ks for the Hard X-ray Detector (HXD) PIN, and 17.1 ks for the HXD-GSO. The hard X-rays are fit by two power-laws of the same slope, absorbed by columns of 1.5 and 7 x 10{sup 23} cm{sup -2} respectively. The spectrum is consistent with previous suggestions that the power-law components are X-ray emission from the sub-pc VLBI jet and from Bondi accretion at the core, but it is also consistent with a partial covering interpretation. The soft band is dominated by thermal emission from the diffuse plasma and is fit well by a two-temperature vapec model, plus a third power-law component to account for scattered nuclear emission, jet emission, and emission from X-ray Binaries and other point sources. Narrow fluorescent emission lines from Fe, Si, S, Ar, Ca and Ni are detected. The Fe K{alpha} line width yields a 200 light-day lower limit on the distance from the black hole to the line-emitting gas. Fe, Ca, and S K-shell absorption edges are detected. Elemental abundances are constrained via absorption edge depths and strengths of the fluorescent and diffuse plasma emission lines. The high metallicity ([Fe/H]=+0.1) of the circumnuclear material suggests that it could not have originated in the relatively metal-poor outer halo unless enrichment by local star formation has occurred. Relative abundances are consistent with enrichment from Type II and Ia supernovae.

  11. STORM IN A {sup T}EACUP{sup :} A RADIO-QUIET QUASAR WITH ≈10 kpc RADIO-EMITTING BUBBLES AND EXTREME GAS KINEMATICS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harrison, C. M.; Thomson, A. P.; Alexander, D. M.; Edge, A. C.; Hogan, M. T.; Swinbank, A. M. [Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Bauer, F. E. [Instituto de Astrofísica, Facultad de Física, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, 306, Santiago 22 (Chile); Mullaney, J. R., E-mail: c.m.harrison@mail.com [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S7 3RH (United Kingdom)

    2015-02-10

    We present multi-frequency (1-8 GHz) Very Large Array data, combined with VIsible MultiObject Spectrograph integral field unit data and Hubble Space Telescope imaging, of a z = 0.085 radio-quiet type 2 quasar (with L {sub 1.4} {sub GHz} ≈ 5 × 10{sup 23} W Hz{sup –1} and L {sub AGN} ≈ 2 × 10{sup 45} erg s{sup –1}). Due to the morphology of its emission-line region, the target (J1430+1339) has been referred to as the ''Teacup'' active galactic nucleus (AGN) in the literature. We identify ''bubbles'' of radio emission that are extended ≈10-12 kpc to both the east and west of the nucleus. The edge of the brighter eastern bubble is co-spatial with an arc of luminous ionized gas. We also show that the ''Teacup'' AGN hosts a compact radio structure, located ≈0.8 kpc from the core position, at the base of the eastern bubble. This radio structure is co-spatial with an ionized outflow with an observed velocity of v = –740 km s{sup –1}. This is likely to correspond to a jet, or possibly a quasar wind, interacting with the interstellar medium at this position. The large-scale radio bubbles appear to be inflated by the central AGN, which indicates that the AGN can also interact with the gas on ≳ 10 kpc scales. Our study highlights that even when a quasar is formally ''radio-quiet'' the radio emission can be extremely effective for observing the effects of AGN feedback.

  12. A CHANDRA SURVEY OF THE X-RAY PROPERTIES OF BROAD ABSORPTION LINE RADIO-LOUD QUASARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, B. P.; Brandt, W. N.; Garmire, G. P.; Gibson, R. R.; Shemmer, O.

    2009-01-01

    This work presents the results of a Chandra study of 21 broad absorption line (BAL) radio-loud quasars (RLQs). We conducted a Chandra snapshot survey of 12 bright BAL RLQs selected from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data/Faint Images of the Radio Sky data and possessing a wide range of radio and C IV absorption properties. Optical spectra were obtained nearly contemporaneously with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope; no strong flux or BAL variability was seen between epochs. In addition to the snapshot targets, we include in our sample nine additional BAL RLQs possessing archival Chandra coverage. We compare the properties of (predominantly high-ionization) BAL RLQs to those of non-BAL RLQs as well as to BAL radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) and non-BAL RQQs for context. All 12 snapshots and 8/9 archival BAL RLQs are detected, with observed X-ray luminosities less than those of non-BAL RLQs having comparable optical/UV luminosities by typical factors of 4.1-8.5. (BAL RLQs are also X-ray weak by typical factors of 2.0-4.5 relative to non-BAL RLQs having both comparable optical/UV and radio luminosities.) However, BAL RLQs are not as X-ray weak relative to non-BAL RLQs as are BAL RQQs relative to non-BAL RQQs. While some BAL RLQs have harder X-ray spectra than typical non-BAL RLQs, some have hardness ratios consistent with those of non-BAL RLQs, and there does not appear to be a correlation between X-ray weakness and spectral hardness, in contrast to the situation for BAL RQQs. RLQs are expected to have X-ray continuum contributions from both accretion-disk corona and small-scale jet emission. While the entire X-ray continuum in BAL RLQs cannot be obscured to the same degree as in BAL RQQs, we calculate that the jet is likely partially covered in many BAL RLQs. We comment briefly on implications for geometries and source ages in BAL RLQs.

  13. AGN Science with AGIS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coppi, Paolo

    2009-05-01

    AGIS, a proposed future gamma-ray telescope consisting of a square km array of 50 atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, will provide a powerful new view of the high energy universe. The combination of its increased sensitivity (a factor 10 over current observatories), increased survey capabilities, and a low energy threshold (<30 GeV) that allows observations at energies not subject to absorption on extragalactic background light will result in a dramatic increase in the number of AGN accessible at high energies. The overall number of ``TeV blazar" AGN, those detected by current ground-based observatories, should increase by a factor 30 or more with a corresponding increase in the number of these that can be monitored at high statistical significance to test emission models rigorously. More excitingly, AGIS may also begin to pick up entirely new classes of AGN such as radio galaxies with X-ray emitting hotspots at large distances from the central engine, providing further insight into the outflows from AGN. The low AGIS threshold energy will also allow significant source overlap with objects detected by the recently launched Fermi gamma-ray space observatory at lower, GeV energies. AGIS will significantly improve on the localization and variability monitoring of the Fermi sources it sees.

  14. OPTICAL MONITORING OF THE BROAD-LINE RADIO GALAXY 3C 390.3

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dietrich, Matthias; Peterson, Bradley M.; Grier, Catherine J.; Bentz, Misty C.; Eastman, Jason; Frank, Stephan; Gonzalez, Raymond; Marshall, Jennifer L.; DePoy, Darren L.; Prieto, Jose L., E-mail: dietrich@astronomy.ohio-state.edu [Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States)

    2012-09-20

    , the mass of the black hole amounts to M{sub bh} = 0.86{sup +0.19}{sub -0.18} Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 9} M{sub Sun} (peak separation) and M{sub bh} 1.26{sup +0.21}{sub -0.16} Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 9} M{sub Sun} ({sigma}{sub line}), respectively. This result is consistent with the black hole masses indicated by simple accretion disk models to describe the observed double-peaked profiles, derived from the stellar dynamics of 3C 390.3, and with the AGN radius-luminosity relation. Thus, 3C 390.3 as a radio-loud AGN with a low Eddington ratio, L{sub edd}/L{sub bol} = 0.02, follows the same AGN radius-luminosity relation as radio-quiet AGNs.

  15. A multi-wavelength investigation of the radio-loud supernova PTF11qcj and its circumstellar environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Corsi, A. [Department of Physics, The George Washington University, 725 21st St, NW, Washington, DC 20052 (United States); Ofek, E. O.; Gal-Yam, A.; Xu, D. [Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot (Israel); Frail, D. A. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box O, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States); Kulkarni, S. R.; Horesh, A.; Carpenter, J.; Arcavi, I.; Cao, Y.; Mooley, K.; Sesar, B. [Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Fox, D. B. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Kasliwal, M. M. [Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); Sullivan, M.; Maguire, K.; Pan, Y.-C. [Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom); Cenko, S. B. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 685, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Sternberg, A. [Max-Planck-Institut fur Astrophysik, D-85741 Garching (Germany); Bersier, D., E-mail: corsi@gwu.edu [Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool (United Kingdom); and others

    2014-02-10

    We present the discovery, classification, and extensive panchromatic (from radio to X-ray) follow-up observations of PTF11qcj, a supernova (SN) discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF). Our observations with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array show that this event is radio-loud: PTF11qcj reached a radio peak luminosity comparable to that of the famous gamma-ray-burst-associated SN 1998bw (L {sub 5} {sub GHz} ≈ 10{sup 29} erg s{sup –1} Hz{sup –1}). PTF11qcj is also detected in X-rays with the Chandra Observatory, and in the infrared band with Spitzer. Our multi-wavelength analysis probes the SN interaction with circumstellar material. The radio observations suggest a progenitor mass-loss rate of ∼10{sup –4} M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} × (v{sub w} /1000 km s{sup –1}), and a velocity of ≈0.3-0.5 c for the fastest moving ejecta (at ≈10 days after explosion). However, these estimates are derived assuming the simplest model of SN ejecta interacting with a smooth circumstellar wind, and do not account for possible inhomogeneities in the medium and asphericity of the explosion. The radio data show deviations from such a simple model, as well as a late-time re-brightening. The X-ray flux from PTF11qcj is compatible with the high-frequency extrapolation of the radio synchrotron emission (within the large uncertainties). A light echo from pre-existing dust is in agreement with our infrared data. Our pre-explosion data from the PTF suggest that a precursor eruption of absolute magnitude M{sub r} ≈ –13 mag may have occurred ≈2.5 yr prior to the SN explosion. Overall, PTF11qcj fits the expectations from the explosion of a Wolf-Rayet star. Precursor eruptions may be a feature characterizing the final pre-explosion evolution of such stars.

  16. The Origin of Powerful Radio Sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, A. S.; Colbert, E. J. M.

    1995-05-01

    Radio-loud active galaxies are associated with elliptical or elliptical-like galaxies, many of which appear to be the result of a recent merger. In contrast, radio-quiet active galaxies prefer spiral hosts. Despite the very large difference in radio luminosities between the two classes, their continua and line spectra from infrared through X-ray frequencies are very similar. In this paper, we describe recent developments of our model (Ap. J. 438, 62 1995) in which the radio-loud phenomenon is the result of a merger of two galaxies, with each galaxy nucleus containing a slowly (or non-) rotating supermassive black hole. It is envisaged that the two black holes eventually coalesce. For the small fraction of mergers in which the two holes are both massive and of comparable mass, a rapidly-spinning, high-mass hole results. The spin energy of a rapidly rotating 10(8-9) solar mass hole suffices to provide the ~ 10(60) ergs in relativistic particles and magnetic fields in the most energetic radio sources. Luminous radio-quiet active galaxies contain high-mass, slowly-rotating holes, with the infrared through X-ray emission of both classes being fuelled by accretion as commonly assumed. We discuss constraints on the model from the luminosity functions of radio-loud and radio-quiet galaxies and from the known cosmological evolution of the radio source population; this evolution is assumed to reflect higher galaxy merger rates in the past.

  17. How Loud Is Too Loud?

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Z Index Español Menu Home Health Info Hearing, Ear Infections, and Deafness Balance Taste and Smell Voice, Speech, ... Involved You are here Home » Health Info » Hearing, Ear Infections, and Deafness How Loud is Too Loud? Video ...

  18. Search for neutrinos from TANAMI observed AGN using Fermi lightcurves wit ANTARES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fehn, Kerstin

    2015-01-01

    Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are promising candidates for hadronic acceleration. The combination of radio, gamma ray and neutrino data should give information on their properties, especially concerning the sources of the high-energetic cosmic rays. Assuming a temporal correlation of gamma and neutrino emission in AGN the background of neutrino telescopes can be reduced using gamma ray lightcurves. Thereby the sensitivity for discovering cosmic neutrino sources is enhanced. In the present work a stacked search for a group of AGN with the ANTARES neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean is presented. The selection of AGN is based on the source sample of TANAMI, a multiwavelength observation program (radio to gamma rays) of extragalactic jets southerly of -30 declination. In the analysis lightcurves of the gamma satellite Fermi are used. In an unbinned maximum likelihood approach the test statistic in the background only case and in the signal and background case is determined. For the investigated 10% of data of ANTARES within the measurement time between 01.09.2008 and 30.07.2012 no significant excess is observed. So on the total flux of the AGN of the stacked search an upper limit can be set.

  19. X-ray monitoring of the radio and γ-ray loud Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy PKS2004–447

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kreikenbohm A.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available We present preliminary results of the X-ray analysis of XMM-Newton and Swift observations as part of a multi-wavelength monitoring campaign in 2012 of the radio-loud narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxy PKS 2004–447. The source was recently detected in γ-rays by Fermi/LAT among only four other galaxies of that type. The 0:5 – 10 keV X-ray spectrum is well-described by a simple absorbed powerlaw (Γ ∼ 1.6. The source brightness exhibits variability on timescales of months to years with indications for spectral variability, which follows a “bluer-when-brighter” behaviour, similar to blazars.

  20. THE SPITZER HIGH-REDSHIFT RADIO GALAXY SURVEY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Breuck, Carlos; Galametz, Audrey; Vernet, Joel; Seymour, Nick; Stern, Daniel; Eisenhardt, P. R. M.; Willner, S. P.; Fazio, G. G.; Lacy, Mark; Rettura, Alessandro; Rocca-Volmerange, Brigitte

    2010-01-01

    We present results from a comprehensive imaging survey of 70 radio galaxies at redshifts 1 3 μ m /S 1.6 μ m versus S 5 μ m /S 3 μ m criterion, we identify 42 sources where the rest-frame 1.6 μm emission from the stellar population can be measured. For these radio galaxies, the median stellar mass is high, 2 x 10 11 M sun , and remarkably constant within the range 1 3, there is tentative evidence for a factor of two decrease in stellar mass. This suggests that radio galaxies have assembled the bulk of their stellar mass by z ∼ 3, but confirmation by more detailed decomposition of stellar and active galactic nucleus (AGN) emission is needed. The rest-frame 500 MHz radio luminosities are only marginally correlated with stellar mass but are strongly correlated with the rest-frame 5 μm hot dust luminosity. This suggests that the radio galaxies have a large range of Eddington ratios. We also present new Very Large Array 4.86 and 8.46 GHz imaging of 14 radio galaxies and find that radio core dominance-an indicator of jet orientation-is strongly correlated with hot dust luminosity. While all of our targets were selected as narrow-lined, type 2 AGNs, this result can be understood in the context of orientation-dependent models if there is a continuous distribution of orientations from obscured type 2 to unobscured type 1 AGNs rather than a clear dichotomy. Finally, four radio galaxies have nearby (<6'') companions whose mid-IR colors are suggestive of their being AGNs. This may indicate an association between radio galaxy activity and major mergers.

  1. Announcment: Conference on Obscured AGN Across Cosmic Time

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-12-01

    Current deep surveys, notably in X-rays and the mid-IR, are making it possible to carry out a census of essentially all the luminous AGN in the Universe. By pene-trating the obscuration that, in Type 2 sources, hides the nuclear regions in the UV to the near-IR spectrum, these new surveys are finding the radio quiet coun-terparts of the powerful radio galaxies.

  2. Non-thermal AGN models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Band, D.L.

    1986-12-01

    The infrared, optical and x-ray continua from radio quiet active galactic nuclei (AGN) are explained by a compact non-thermal source surrounding a thermal ultraviolet emitter, presumably the accretion disk around a supermassive black hole. The ultraviolet source is observed as the ''big blue bump.'' The flat (..cap alpha.. approx. = .7) hard x-ray spectrum results from the scattering of thermal ultraviolet photons by the flat, low energy end of an electron distribution ''broken'' by Compton losses; the infrared through soft x-ray continuum is the synchrotron radiation of the steep, high energy end of the electron distribution. Quantitative fits to specific AGN result in models which satisfy the variability constraints but require electron (re)acceleration throughout the source. 11 refs., 1 fig.

  3. THE RADIO AND OPTICAL LUMINOSITY EVOLUTION OF QUASARS. II. THE SDSS SAMPLE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singal, J.; Petrosian, V.; Stawarz, Ł.; Lawrence, A.

    2013-01-01

    We determine the radio and optical luminosity evolutions and the true distribution of the radio-loudness parameter R, defined as the ratio of the radio to optical luminosity, for a set of more than 5000 quasars combining Sloan Digital Sky Survey optical and Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty cm (FIRST) radio data. We apply the method of Efron and Petrosian to access the intrinsic distribution parameters, taking into account the truncations and correlations inherent in the data. We find that the population exhibits strong positive evolution with redshift in both wavebands, with somewhat greater radio evolution than optical. With the luminosity evolutions accounted for, we determine the density evolutions and local radio and optical luminosity functions. The intrinsic distribution of the radio-loudness parameter R is found to be quite different from the observed one and is smooth with no evidence of a bimodality in radio loudness for log R ≥ –1. The results we find are in general agreement with the previous analysis of Singal et al., which used POSS-I optical and FIRST radio data.

  4. Cosmic evolution of AGN with moderate-to-high radiative luminosity in the COSMOS field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ceraj, L.; Smolčić, V.; Delvecchio, I.; Delhaize, J.; Novak, M.

    2018-05-01

    We study the moderate-to-high radiative luminosity active galactic nuclei (HLAGN) within the VLA-COSMOS 3 GHz Large Project. The survey covers 2.6 square degrees centered on the COSMOS field with a 1σ sensitivity of 2.3 μJy/beam across the field. This provides the simultaneously largest and deepest radio continuum survey available to date with exquisite multi-wavelength coverage. The survey yields 10,830 radio sources with signal-to-noise ratios >=5. A subsample of 1,604 HLAGN is analyzed here. These were selected via a combination of X-ray luminosity and mid-infrared colors. We derive luminosity functions for these AGN and constrain their cosmic evolution out to a redshift of z ~ 6, for the first time decomposing the star formation and AGN contributions to the radio continuum emission in the AGN. We study the evolution of number density and luminosity density finding a peak at z ~ 1.5 followed by a decrease out to a redshift z ~ 6.

  5. Red Geyser: A New Class of Galaxy with Large-scale AGN-driven Winds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Namrata; Bundy, Kevin; Cheung, Edmond; MaNGA Team

    2018-01-01

    A new class of quiescent (non-star-forming) galaxies harboring possible AGN-driven winds have been discovered using the spatially resolved optical spectroscopy from the ongoing SDSS-IV MaNGA (Sloan Digital Sky Survey-IV Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory) survey. These galaxies named "red geysers" constitute 5%-10% of the local quiescent galaxy population and are characterized by narrow bisymmetric ionized gas emission patterns. These enhanced patterns are seen in equivalent width maps of Hα, [OIII] and other strong emission lines. They are co-aligned with the ionized gas velocity gradients but significantly misaligned with stellar velocity gradients. They also show very high gas velocity dispersions (~200 km/s). Considering these observations in light of models of the gravitational potential, Cheung et al. argued that red geysers host large-scale AGN-driven winds of ionized gas that may play a role in suppressing star formation at late times. In this work, we test the hypothesis that AGN activity is ultimately responsible for the red geyser phenomenon. We compare the nuclear radio activity of the red geysers to a matched control sample of galaxies of similar stellar mass, redshift, rest frame NUV–r color and axis ratio. and additionally, control for the presence of ionized gas. We have used 1.4 GHz radio continuum data from the VLA FIRST Survey to stack the radio flux from the red geyser sample and control sample. We find that the red geysers have a higher average radio flux than the control galaxies at > 3σ significance. Our sample is restricted to rest-frame NUV–r color > 5, thus ruling out possible radio emission due to star formation activity. We conclude that red geysers are associated with more active AGN, supporting a feedback picture in which episodic AGN activity drives large-scale but relatively weak ionized winds in many in many early-type galaxies.

  6. THE ROLE OF FAST MAGNETIC RECONNECTION ON THE RADIO AND GAMMA-RAY EMISSION FROM THE NUCLEAR REGIONS OF MICROQUASARS AND LOW LUMINOSITY AGNs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kadowaki, L. H. S.; Pino, E. M. de Gouveia Dal; Singh, C. B.

    2015-01-01

    Fast magnetic reconnection events can be a very powerful mechanism operating in the core region of microquasars and active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In earlier work, it has been suggested that the power released by fast reconnection events between the magnetic field lines lifting from the inner accretion disk region and the lines anchored into the central black hole could accelerate relativistic particles and produce the observed radio emission from microquasars and low luminosity AGNs (LLAGNs). Moreover, it has been proposed that the observed correlation between the radio emission and the mass of these sources, spanning 10 10 orders of magnitude in mass, might be related to this process. In the present work, we revisit this model comparing two different fast magnetic reconnection mechanisms, namely, fast reconnection driven by anomalous resistivity (AR) and by turbulence. We apply the scenario above to a much larger sample of sources (including also blazars, and gamma-ray bursts—GRBs), and find that LLAGNs and microquasars do confirm the trend above. Furthermore, when driven by turbulence, not only their radio but also their gamma-ray emission can be due to magnetic power released by fast reconnection, which may accelerate particles to relativistic velocities in the core region of these sources. Thus the turbulent-driven fast reconnection model is able to reproduce verywell the observed emission. On the other hand, the emission from blazars and GRBs does not follow the same trend as that of the LLAGNs and microquasars, indicating that the radio and gamma-ray emission in these cases is produced beyond the core, along the jet, by another population of relativistic particles, as expected

  7. FROM NEARBY LOW LUMINOSITY AGN TO HIGH REDSHIFT ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    44

    6Amity Institute of Applied Sciences, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Sector 125, Noida ... We present detailed science cases that a large fraction of the Indian AGN ..... kiloparsec-scale radio study of the MOJAVE6 blazar sample. Kharb et al.

  8. CLUSTERING OF γ-RAY-SELECTED 2LAC FERMI BLAZARS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Allevato, V.; Finoguenov, A. [Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2a, FI-00014 Helsinki (Finland); Cappelluti, N. [University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 (United States)

    2014-12-20

    We present the first measurement of the projected correlation function of 485 γ-ray-selected blazars, divided into 175 BL Lacertae (BL Lacs) and 310 flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) detected in the 2 year all-sky survey by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope. We find that Fermi BL Lacs and FSRQs reside in massive dark matter halos (DMHs) with log M{sub h} = 13.35{sub −0.14}{sup +0.20} and log M{sub h} = 13.40{sub −0.19}{sup +0.15} h {sup –1} M {sub ☉}, respectively, at low (z ∼ 0.4) and high (z ∼ 1.2) redshift. In terms of clustering properties, these results suggest that BL Lacs and FSRQs are similar objects residing in the same dense environment typical of galaxy groups, despite their different spectral energy distributions, power, and accretion rates. We find no difference in the typical bias and hosting halo mass between Fermi blazars and radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs), supporting the unification scheme simply equating radio-loud objects with misaligned blazar counterparts. This similarity in terms of the typical environment they preferentially live in, suggests that blazars tend to occupy the center of DMHs, as already pointed out for radio-loud AGNs. This implies, in light of several projects looking for the γ-ray emission from DM annihilation in galaxy clusters, a strong contamination from blazars to the expected signal from DM annihilation.

  9. High-energy neutrinos from FR0 radio galaxies?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavecchio, F.; Righi, C.; Capetti, A.; Grandi, P.; Ghisellini, G.

    2018-04-01

    The sources responsible for the emission of high-energy (≳100 TeV) neutrinos detected by IceCube are still unknown. Among the possible candidates, active galactic nuclei with relativistic jets are often examined, since the outflowing plasma seems to offer the ideal environment to accelerate the required parent high-energy cosmic rays. The non-detection of single-point sources or - almost equivalently - the absence, in the IceCube events, of multiplets originating from the same sky position - constrains the cosmic density and the neutrino output of these sources, pointing to a numerous population of faint sources. Here we explore the possibility that FR0 radio galaxies, the population of compact sources recently identified in large radio and optical surveys and representing the bulk of radio-loud AGN population, can represent suitable candidates for neutrino emission. Modelling the spectral energy distribution of an FR0 radio galaxy recently associated with a γ-ray source detected by the Large Area Telescope onboard Fermi, we derive the physical parameters of its jet, in particular the power carried by it. We consider the possible mechanisms of neutrino production, concluding that pγ reactions in the jet between protons and ambient radiation is too inefficient to sustain the required output. We propose an alternative scenario, in which protons, accelerated in the jet, escape from it and diffuse in the host galaxy, producing neutrinos as a result of pp scattering with the interstellar gas, in strict analogy with the processes taking place in star-forming galaxies.

  10. Simultaneous Chandra and NuSTAR Observations of the Highly Obscured AGN Candidate in NGC660.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annuar, Ady

    2014-09-01

    We are using NuSTAR to undertake a detailed investigation of the obscured AGN population at D<15Mpc. Our latest target is NGC660 where the presence of an AGN has been ambiguous. However, recently it was observed to undergo a radio outburst which reveals a bright continuum source (Argo et al. 2015), coincident with Chandra 2-8 keV emission from one of the three point sources near the nucleus (<5"). This confirms and pinpoints the X-ray position of the AGN. Comparisons of the Chandra flux with the radio emission and other multiwavelength luminosity indicators indicate that the X-ray flux is suppressed, suggesting that it is absorbed by a high column of gas. A NuSTAR observation for this object has been scheduled as part of our program. The requested Chandra observation is essential to unambiguously constrain the AGN and isolate it from other sources at <8 keV. When combined with NuSTAR, we will then be able to accurately characterise the 0.5-30 keV spectrum of the AGN for the first time.

  11. AGN Heating Through Cavities and Shocks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nulsen, P.E.J.; Jones, C.; Forman, W.R.; David, L.P.; McNamara, B.R.; Rafferty, D.A.; Bîrzan, L.; Wise, M.

    2007-01-01

    Three comments are made on AGN heating of cooling flows. A simple physical argument is used to show that the enthalpy of a buoyant radio lobe is converted to heat in its wake. Thus, a significant part of ``cavity'' enthalpy is likely to end up as heat. Second, the properties of the repeated weak

  12. Galaxy Evolution in the Radio Band: The Role of Star-forming Galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mancuso, C.; Prandoni, I. [INAF-IRA, Via P. Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna (Italy); Lapi, A.; Obi, I.; Perrotta, F.; Bressan, A.; Celotti, A.; Danese, L. [SISSA, Via Bonomea 265, I-34136 Trieste (Italy); Gonzalez-Nuevo, J. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidad de Oviedo, C. Calvo Sotelo s/n, E-33007 Oviedo (Spain)

    2017-06-20

    We investigate the astrophysics of radio-emitting star-forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and elucidate their statistical properties in the radio band, including luminosity functions, redshift distributions, and number counts at sub-mJy flux levels, which will be crucially probed by next-generation radio continuum surveys. Specifically, we exploit the model-independent approach by Mancuso et al. to compute the star formation rate functions, the AGN duty cycles, and the conditional probability of a star-forming galaxy to host an AGN with given bolometric luminosity. Coupling these ingredients with the radio emission properties associated with star formation and nuclear activity, we compute relevant statistics at different radio frequencies and disentangle the relative contribution of star-forming galaxies and AGNs in different radio luminosity, radio flux, and redshift ranges. Finally, we highlight that radio-emitting star-forming galaxies and AGNs are expected to host supermassive black holes accreting with different Eddington ratio distributions and to occupy different loci in the galaxy main-sequence diagrams. These specific predictions are consistent with current data sets but need to be tested with larger statistics via future radio data with multiband coverage on wide areas, as will become routinely achievable with the advent of the Square Kilometre Array and its precursors.

  13. X-ray Counterparts of Infrared Faint Radio Sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schartel, Norbert

    2011-10-01

    Infrared Faint Radio Sources (IFRS) are radio sources with extremely faint or even absent infrared emission in deep Spitzer Surveys. Models of their spectral energy distributions, the ratios of radio to infrared flux densities and their steep radio spectra strongly suggest that IFRS are AGN at high redshifts (2IFRS, but if confirmed, the increased AGN numbers at these redshifts will account for the unresolved part of the X-ray background. The identification of X-ray counterparts of IFRS is considered to be the smoking gun for this hypothesis. We propose to observe 8 IFRS using 30ks pointed observations. X-ray detections of IFRS with different ratios of radio-to-infrared fluxes, will constrain the class-specific SED.

  14. Fermi-LAT observation of nonblazar AGNs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahakyan, N.; Baghmanyan, V.; Zargaryan, D.

    2018-06-01

    Context. Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) has recently detected γ-ray emission from active galactic nuclei (AGN) that do not show clear evidence for optical blazar characteristics or have jets pointing away from the observer (nonblazar AGNs). These are interesting γ-ray emitters providing an alternative approach to studying high energy emission processes. Aims: This paper investigates the spectral and temporal properties of γ-ray emission from nonblazar AGNs using the recent Fermi-LAT observational data. Methods: The data collected by Fermi-LAT during 2008-2015, from the observations of 26 nonblazar AGNs, including 11 Fanaroff-Riley Type I (FRI) and ten FRII radio galaxies and steep spectrum radio quasars (SSRQs) and five narrow line seyfert 1s (NLSy1s) are analysed using the new PASS 8 event selection and instrument response function. Possible spectral changes above GeV energies are investigated with a detailed spectral analysis. Light curves generated with normal and adaptive time bins are used to study the γ-ray flux variability. Results: Non-blazar AGNs have a γ-ray photon index in the range of 1.84-2.86 and a flux varying from a few times 10-9 photon cm-2 s-1 to 10-7 photon cm-2 s-1. Over long time periods, the power law provides an adequate description of the γ-ray spectra of almost all sources. Significant curvature is observed in the γ-ray spectra of NGC 1275, NGC 6251, SBS 0846 + 513, and PMN J0948 + 0022 and their spectra are better described by log parabola or by the power law with exponential cut-off models. The γ-ray spectra of PKS 0625-25 and 3C 380 show a possible deviation from a simple power-law shape, indicating a spectral cut-off around the observed photon energy of Ecut = 131.2 ± 88.04 GeV and Ecut = 55.57 ± 50.74 GeV, respectively. Our analysis confirms the previous finding of an unusual spectral turnover in the γ-ray spectrum of Cen A: the photon index changes from Γ = 2.75 ± 0.02 to 2.31 ± 0.1 at 2.35 ± 0.08 GeV. In the

  15. Radio imaging of core-dominated high redshift quasars

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barthel, Peter D.; Vestergaard, Marianne; Lonsdale, Colin J.

    1999-01-01

    VLA imaging at kiloparsec-scale resolution of sixteen core-dominated radio-loud QSOs is presented. Many objects appear to display variable radio emission and their radio morphologies are significantly smaller than those of steep-spectrum quasars, consistent with these objects being observed...

  16. A FANAROFF-RILEY TYPE I CANDIDATE IN NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXY Mrk 1239

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Doi, Akihiro [The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuou-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210 (Japan); Wajima, Kiyoaki [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeokdae-ro, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Hagiwara, Yoshiaki [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Inoue, Makoto, E-mail: akihiro.doi@vsop.isas.jaxa.jp [Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China)

    2015-01-10

    We report finding kiloparsec-scale radio emissions aligned with parsec-scale jet structures in the narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxy Mrk 1239 using the Very Large Array and the Very Long Baseline Array. Thus, this radio-quiet NLS1 has a jet-producing central engine driven by essentially the same mechanism as that of other radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Most of the radio luminosity is concentrated within 100 parsecs and overall radio morphology looks edge-darkened; the estimated jet kinetic power is comparable to Fanaroff-Riley Type I radio galaxies. The conversion from accretion to jet power appears to be highly inefficient in this highly accreting low-mass black hole system compared with that in a low-luminosity AGN with similar radio power driven by a sub-Eddington, high-mass black hole. Thus, Mrk 1239 is a crucial probe to the unexplored parameter spaces of central engines for a jet formation.

  17. Gamma-Ray Loudness, Synchrotron Peak Frequency, and Parsec-scale Properties of Blazars Detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linford, J. D.; Taylor, G. B.; Schinzel, F. K.

    2012-09-01

    The parsec-scale radio properties of 232 active galactic nuclei, most of which are blazars, detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have been observed contemporaneously by the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 5 GHz. Data from both the first 11 months (1FGL) and the first 2 years (2FGL) of the Fermi mission were used to investigate these sources' γ-ray properties. We use the ratio of the γ-ray-to-radio luminosity as a measure of γ-ray loudness. We investigate the relationship of several radio properties to γ-ray loudness and to the synchrotron peak frequency. There is a tentative correlation between γ-ray loudness and synchrotron peak frequency for BL Lac objects in both 1FGL and 2FGL, and for flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) in 2FGL. We find that the apparent opening angle tentatively correlates with γ-ray loudness for FSRQs, but only when we use the 2FGL data. We also find that the total VLBA flux density correlates with the synchrotron peak frequency for BL Lac objects and FSRQs. The core brightness temperature also correlates with synchrotron peak frequency, but only for the BL Lac objects. The low-synchrotron-peaked (LSP) BL Lac object sample shows indications of contamination by FSRQs which happen to have undetectable emission lines. There is evidence that the LSP BL Lac objects are more strongly beamed than the rest of the BL Lac object population.

  18. GAMMA-RAY LOUDNESS, SYNCHROTRON PEAK FREQUENCY, AND PARSEC-SCALE PROPERTIES OF BLAZARS DETECTED BY THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Linford, J. D.; Taylor, G. B.; Schinzel, F. K., E-mail: jlinford@unm.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, MSC07 4220, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 (United States)

    2012-09-20

    The parsec-scale radio properties of 232 active galactic nuclei, most of which are blazars, detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have been observed contemporaneously by the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 5 GHz. Data from both the first 11 months (1FGL) and the first 2 years (2FGL) of the Fermi mission were used to investigate these sources' {gamma}-ray properties. We use the ratio of the {gamma}-ray-to-radio luminosity as a measure of {gamma}-ray loudness. We investigate the relationship of several radio properties to {gamma}-ray loudness and to the synchrotron peak frequency. There is a tentative correlation between {gamma}-ray loudness and synchrotron peak frequency for BL Lac objects in both 1FGL and 2FGL, and for flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) in 2FGL. We find that the apparent opening angle tentatively correlates with {gamma}-ray loudness for FSRQs, but only when we use the 2FGL data. We also find that the total VLBA flux density correlates with the synchrotron peak frequency for BL Lac objects and FSRQs. The core brightness temperature also correlates with synchrotron peak frequency, but only for the BL Lac objects. The low-synchrotron-peaked (LSP) BL Lac object sample shows indications of contamination by FSRQs which happen to have undetectable emission lines. There is evidence that the LSP BL Lac objects are more strongly beamed than the rest of the BL Lac object population.

  19. GAMMA-RAY LOUDNESS, SYNCHROTRON PEAK FREQUENCY, AND PARSEC-SCALE PROPERTIES OF BLAZARS DETECTED BY THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Linford, J. D.; Taylor, G. B.; Schinzel, F. K.

    2012-01-01

    The parsec-scale radio properties of 232 active galactic nuclei, most of which are blazars, detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have been observed contemporaneously by the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 5 GHz. Data from both the first 11 months (1FGL) and the first 2 years (2FGL) of the Fermi mission were used to investigate these sources' γ-ray properties. We use the ratio of the γ-ray-to-radio luminosity as a measure of γ-ray loudness. We investigate the relationship of several radio properties to γ-ray loudness and to the synchrotron peak frequency. There is a tentative correlation between γ-ray loudness and synchrotron peak frequency for BL Lac objects in both 1FGL and 2FGL, and for flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) in 2FGL. We find that the apparent opening angle tentatively correlates with γ-ray loudness for FSRQs, but only when we use the 2FGL data. We also find that the total VLBA flux density correlates with the synchrotron peak frequency for BL Lac objects and FSRQs. The core brightness temperature also correlates with synchrotron peak frequency, but only for the BL Lac objects. The low-synchrotron-peaked (LSP) BL Lac object sample shows indications of contamination by FSRQs which happen to have undetectable emission lines. There is evidence that the LSP BL Lac objects are more strongly beamed than the rest of the BL Lac object population.

  20. Spectral Index Properties of millijansky Radio Sources in ATLAS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randall, Kate; Hopkins, A. M.; Norris, R. P.; Zinn, P.; Middelberg, E.; Mao, M. Y.; Sharp, R. G.

    2012-01-01

    At the faintest radio flux densities (S1.4GHz 10 mJy) is well studied and is predominantly comprised of AGN. At fainter flux densities, particularly into the microJansky regime, star-forming galaxies begin to dominate the radio source population. Understanding these faint radio source populations is essential for understanding galaxy evolution, and the link between AGN and star formation. Conflicting results have recently arisen regarding whether there is a flattening of the average spectral index between a low radio frequency (325 or 610 MHz) and 1.4 GHz at these faint flux densities. To explore this issue, we have investigated the spectral index properties of a new catalogue of 843 MHz radio sources in the ELAIS-S1 (the European Large Area ISO Survey - South 1 Region) field. Our results support previous work showing a tendency towards flatter radio spectra at fainter flux densities. This catalogue is cross-matched to the Australia Telescope Large Area Survey (ATLAS), the widest deep radio survey to date at 1.4 GHz, with complementary 2.3 GHz, optical and infrared Spitzer Wide-area Infra-Red Extragalactic data. The variation of spectral index properties have been explored as a function of redshift, luminosity and flux density. [These new measurements have been used to identify a population of faint Compact Steep Spectrum sources, thought to be one of the earliest stages of the AGN life-cycle. Exploring this population will aid us in understanding the evolution of AGN as a whole.

  1. What Governs Lorentz Factors of Jet Components in Blazars? Xinwu ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Abstract. We use a sample of radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei. (AGNs) with measured black hole masses to explore the jet formation mechanisms in these sources. We find a significant correlation between black hole mass and the bulk Lorentz factor of the jet components for this sample, while no significant correlation is ...

  2. What Governs Lorentz Factors of Jet Components in Blazars?

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    We use a sample of radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) with measured black hole masses to explore the jet formation mechanisms in these sources. We find a significant correlation between black hole mass and the bulk Lorentz factor of the jet components for this sample, while no significant correlation is present ...

  3. Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2016-01-27

    Jan 27, 2016 ... Estimating black hole masses of blazars is still a big challenge. Because of the contamination of jets, using the previously suggested size–continuum luminosity relation can overestimate the broad line region (BLR) size and black hole mass for radio-loud AGNs, including blazars. We propose a new relation ...

  4. The mm-wave compact component of AGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behar, Ehud; Vogel, Stuart; Baldi, Ranieri D.; Smith, Krista L.; Mushotzky, Richard F.

    2018-05-01

    mm-wave emission from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) may hold the key to understanding the physical origin of their radio cores. The correlation between radio/mm and X-ray luminosity may suggest a similar physical origin of the two sources. Since synchrotron self absorption decreases with frequency, mm-waves probe smaller length scales than cm-waves. We report on 100 GHz (3 mm) observations with CARMA of 26 AGNs selected from the hard X-ray Swift/BAT survey. 20/26 targets were detected at 100 GHz down to the 1 mJy (3σ) sensitivity, which corresponds to optically thick synchrotron source sizes of 10-4 - 10-3 pc. Most sources show a 100 GHz flux excess with respect to the spectral slope extrapolated from low frequencies. This mm spectral component likely originates from smaller scales than the few-GHz emission. The measured mm sources lie roughly around the Lmm (100 GHz) ˜10-4LX (2-10 keV) relation, similar to a few previously published X-ray selected sources, and hinting perhaps at a common coronal origin.

  5. Can CMB Surveys Help the AGN Community?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruce Partridge

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Contemporary projects to measure anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB are now detecting hundreds to thousands of extragalactic radio sources, most of them blazars. As a member of a group of CMB scientists involved in the construction of catalogues of such sources and their analysis, I wish to point out the potential value of CMB surveys to studies of AGN jets and their polarization. Current CMB projects, for instance, reach mJy sensitivity, offer wide sky coverage, are “blind” and generally of uniform sensitivity across the sky (hence useful statistically, make essentially simultaneous multi-frequency observations at frequencies from 30 to 857 GHz, routinely offer repeated observations of sources with interesting cadences and now generally provide polarization measurements. The aim here is not to analyze in any depth the AGN science already derived from such projects, but rather to heighten awareness of their promise for the AGN community.

  6. H I absorption in nearby compact radio galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glowacki, M.; Allison, J. R.; Sadler, E. M.; Moss, V. A.; Curran, S. J.; Musaeva, A.; Deng, C.; Parry, R.; Sligo, M. C.

    2017-05-01

    H I absorption studies yield information on both active galactic nucleus (AGN) feeding and feedback processes. This AGN activity interacts with the neutral gas in compact radio sources, which are believed to represent the young or recently re-triggered AGN population. We present the results of a survey for H I absorption in a sample of 66 compact radio sources at 0.040 100 km s-1) features, indicative of disturbed gas kinematics. Such broad, shallow and offset features are also found within low-excitation radio galaxies which is attributed to disturbed circumnuclear gas, consistent with early-type galaxies typically devoid of a gas-rich disc. Comparing mid-infrared colours of our galaxies with H I detections indicates that narrow and deep absorption features are preferentially found in late-type and high-excitation radio galaxies in our sample. These features are attributed to gas in galactic discs. By combining XMM-Newton archival data with 21-cm data, we find support that absorbed X-ray sources may be good tracers of H I content within the host galaxy. This sample extends previous H I surveys in compact radio galaxies to lower radio luminosities and provides a basis for future work exploring the higher redshift universe.

  7. A RADIO-LOUD MAGNETAR IN X-RAY QUIESCENCE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levin, Lina; Bailes, Matthew; Bhat, N. D. Ramesh; Burke-Spolaor, Sarah; Van Straten, Willem; Bates, Samuel; Kramer, Michael; Stappers, Ben; Burgay, Marta; D'Amico, Nichi; Milia, Sabrina; Possenti, Andrea; Johnston, Simon; Keith, Michael; Rea, Nanda

    2010-01-01

    As part of a survey for radio pulsars with the Parkes 64 m telescope, we have discovered PSR J1622-4950, a pulsar with a 4.3 s rotation period. Follow-up observations show that the pulsar has the highest inferred surface magnetic field of the known radio pulsars (B ∼3 x 10 14 G), and it exhibits significant timing noise and appears to have an inverted spectrum. Unlike the vast majority of the known pulsar population, PSR J1622-4950 appears to switch off for many hundreds of days and even in its on-state exhibits extreme variability in its flux density. Furthermore, the integrated pulse profile changes shape with epoch. All of these properties are remarkably similar to the only two magnetars previously known to emit radio pulsations. The position of PSR J1622-4950 is coincident with an X-ray source that, unlike the other radio pulsating magnetars, was found to be in quiescence. We conclude that our newly discovered pulsar is a magnetar-the first to be discovered via its radio emission.

  8. No evidence for radio-quiet BL Lacertae objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stocke, J.T.; Morris, S.L.; Gioia, I.; Maccacaro, T.; Schild, R.E.

    1990-01-01

    Using a large, flux-limited sample of faint X-ray sources, a search has been conducted for radio-quiet BL Lacertae objects. None has been found. Thirty-two X-ray-selected BL Lac objects and BL Lac candidates have been found within the sources of the Einstein Medium Sensitivity Survey (EMSS). Thirty-one of these have been observed with the VLA and all have been detected at 5 GHz. While the optical magnitudes of the EMSS BL Lac objects range from 17 to 20.8, their radio-to-optical spectral indices occupy a very small range. The very bright X-ray-selected BL Lac objects like PKS 2155-304 and Markarian 501 have similar range values. Therefore, unlike the clear dichotomy between radio-loud quasars and radio-quiet QSOs, there is no evidence for two populations of Lacertids distinguished by radio loudness. 43 refs

  9. A Uniformly Selected Sample of Low-mass Black Holes in Seyfert 1 Galaxies. II. The SDSS DR7 Sample

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, He-Yang; Yuan, Weimin; Dong, Xiao-Bo; Zhou, Hongyan; Liu, Wen-Juan

    2018-04-01

    A new sample of 204 low-mass black holes (LMBHs) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is presented with black hole masses in the range of (1–20) × 105 M ⊙. The AGNs are selected through a systematic search among galaxies in the Seventh Data Release (DR7) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and careful analyses of their optical spectra and precise measurement of spectral parameters. Combining them with our previous sample selected from SDSS DR4 makes it the largest LMBH sample so far, totaling over 500 objects. Some of the statistical properties of the combined LMBH AGN sample are briefly discussed in the context of exploring the low-mass end of the AGN population. Their X-ray luminosities follow the extension of the previously known correlation with the [O III] luminosity. The effective optical-to-X-ray spectral indices α OX, albeit with a large scatter, are broadly consistent with the extension of the relation with the near-UV luminosity L 2500 Å. Interestingly, a correlation of α OX with black hole mass is also found, with α OX being statistically flatter (stronger X-ray relative to optical) for lower black hole masses. Only 26 objects, mostly radio loud, were detected in radio at 20 cm in the FIRST survey, giving a radio-loud fraction of 4%. The host galaxies of LMBHs have stellar masses in the range of 108.8–1012.4 M ⊙ and optical colors typical of Sbc spirals. They are dominated by young stellar populations that seem to have undergone continuous star formation history.

  10. Toward Understanding the Fanaroff-Riley Dichotomy in Radio Source Morphology and Power

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baum, Stefi A.; Zirbel, Esther L.; O'Dea, Christopher P.

    1995-09-01

    of the total energy output from the AGNs into jet kinetic energy versus radiant energy than do FR 2 sources. If this interpretation is correct, then this suggests that there is a fundamental difference in the central engine and/or in the immediate "accretion region" around the engine in FR 1 and FR 2 radio galaxies. We note also the absence of FR 1 sources with nuclear broad line regions and suggest that the absence of the BLR is tied to the absence of the "isotropic" nuclear UV continuum source in FR 1 sources. We put forth the possibility that the FR 1/FR 2 dichotomy (i.e., the observed differences in the properties of low- and high-power radio sources) is due to qualitative differences in the structural properties of the central engines in these two types of sources. Following early work by Rees et al. (1982), we suggest the possibility that FR 1 sources are produced when the central engine is fed at a lower accretion rate, leading to the creation of a source in which the ratio of radiant to jet bulk kinetic energy is low, while FR 2 sources are produced when the central engine is fed at a higher accretion rate, causing the central engine to deposit a higher fraction of its energy in radiant energy. We further suggest the possibility that associated differences in the spin properties of the central black hole between FR 1 (lower spin) and FR 2 (higher spin) sources may be responsible for the different collimation properties and Mach numbers of the jets produced by these two types of radio-loud galaxies. This scenario, although currently clearly speculative, is nicely consistent with our current picture of the triggering, feeding, environments, and evolution of powerful radio galaxies. This model allows for evolution of these properties with time for example, the mass accretion rate and BH spin may decline with time causing an FR 2 radio source or quasar to evolve into a FR 1 radio source.

  11. Radio Observations of Ultra-Luminous X-Ray Sources and their Implication for Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koerding, E. G.; Colbert, E. J. M.; Falcke, H.

    2004-05-01

    We present the results of a radio monitoring campaign to search for radio emission from nearby ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs). These intriguing sources are bright off-nuclear X-ray point sources with luminosities exceeding LX > 1039 erg/sec. Assuming isotropic emission the Eddington Limit suggests that they harbor intermediate mass black holes. Due to the problems of this explanation also other possibilities are currently discussed, among them are anisotropic emission, super-Eddington accretion flows or relativistically beamed emission from microquasars. Detections of compact radio cores at the positions of ULXs would be a direct hint to jet-emission. However, as the ULX phenomenom is connected to star formation we have to assume that they are strongly accreting objects. Thus, similar to their nearest Galactic cousins, the very high state X-ray binaries (see e.g., GRS 1915), ULXs may show radio flares. A well-defined sample of the 9 nearest ULXs has been monitored eight times during 5 months with the Very Large Array in A and B configuration. Our limiting sensitivity is 0.15 mJy (4 σ ) for flares and 68 μ Jy for continuous emission. In M82 some ULXs seem to be connected to radio supernova remnants. Besides that no flare or continuous emission has been detected. As the timescales of radio flares in ULXs are highly uncertain, it could well be that we have undersampled the lightcurve. However, upper bounds for the probability to detect a flare can be given. The upper limits for the continuous emission are compared with the emission found in NGC 5408 X-1 and with quasars and microquasars. We show that these limits are well in agreement with the microblazar model using the Radio/X-ray correlation of XRBs and AGN. Thus, it could well be that ULXs are microblazers which may be radio loud.

  12. Discovery of 21 New Changing-look AGNs: Study on Evolution of AGNs and AGN Host Galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Qian; Wu, Xuebing; Fan, Xiaohui; Jiang, Linhua; McGreer, Ian; Shangguan, Jinyi; Yao, Su; Wang, Bingquan; Joshi, Ravi; Green, Richard F.; Wang, Feige; Feng, Xiaotong; Fu, Yuming; Yang, Jinyi; Liu, Yuanqi

    2018-01-01

    The rare case of changing-look (CL) AGNs, with the appearance or disappearance of broad Balmer emission lines within a few years, challenges our understanding of the AGN unified model. We present a sample of 21 new CL AGNs at 0.08 Survey Explorer (WISE), were detected in 15 CL AGNs during the transition. The optical and mid-infrared variability is not consistent with the scenario of variable obscuration in 10 CL AGNs at higher than 3σ confidence level. We confirm a bluer-when-brighter trend in the optical. However, the mid-infrared colors W1‑W2 become redder when the objects become brighter in the W1 band, possibly due to a stronger hot dust contribution in the W2 band when the AGN activity becomes stronger. The physical mechanism of type transition is important for understanding the evolution of AGNs. The rare CL AGNs provide exceptional cases for the black hole and host stellar velocity dispersion relation studies at higher redshift. The faint state spectrum can be used to obtain the host stellar velocity dispersion without contamination from AGN component, and the bright state spectrum can be used to calculate the black hole mass with broad Balmer emission lines. The images at the non-AGN phase of CL AGNs are useful for studies of AGN host galaxies avoiding contamination from the luminous central engines.

  13. FR-type radio sources in COSMOS: relation of radio structure to size, accretion modes and large-scale environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vardoulaki, Eleni; Faustino Jimenez Andrade, Eric; Delvecchio, Ivan; Karim, Alexander; Smolčić, Vernesa; Magnelli, Benjamin; Bertoldi, Frank; Schinnener, Eva; Sargent, Mark; Finoguenov, Alexis; VLA COSMOS Team

    2018-01-01

    The radio sources associated with active galactic nuclei (AGN) can exhibit a variety of radio structures, from simple to more complex, giving rise to a variety of classification schemes. The question which still remains open, given deeper surveys revealing new populations of radio sources, is whether this plethora of radio structures can be attributed to the physical properties of the host or to the environment. Here we present an analysis on the radio structure of radio-selected AGN from the VLA-COSMOS Large Project at 3 GHz (JVLA-COSMOS; Smolčić et al.) in relation to: 1) their linear projected size, 2) the Eddington ratio, and 3) the environment their hosts lie within. We classify these as FRI (jet-like) and FRII (lobe-like) based on the FR-type classification scheme, and compare them to a sample of jet-less radio AGN in JVLA-COSMOS. We measure their linear projected sizes using a semi-automatic machine learning technique. Their Eddington ratios are calculated from X-ray data available for COSMOS. As environmental probes we take the X-ray groups (hundreds kpc) and the density fields (~Mpc-scale) in COSMOS. We find that FRII radio sources are on average larger than FRIs, which agrees with literature. But contrary to past studies, we find no dichotomy in FR objects in JVLA-COSMOS given their Eddington ratios, as on average they exhibit similar values. Furthermore our results show that the large-scale environment does not explain the observed dichotomy in lobe- and jet-like FR-type objects as both types are found on similar environments, but it does affect the shape of the radio structure introducing bents for objects closer to the centre of an X-ray group.

  14. On the relations among temporal integration for loudness, loudness discrimination, and the form of the loudness function. (A)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Torben; Buus, Søren; Florentine, M

    1996-01-01

    Temporal integration for loudness was measured as a function of level from 2 to 60 dB SL using 2-, 10-, 50-, and 250-ms tones at 5 kHz. The adaptive 2I,2AFC procedure converged at the level required to make the variable stimulus just louder than the fixed stimulus. Thus the data yield estimates...... of the levels required to make tones of different durations equally loud and of the just noticeable differences for loudness level. Results for four listeners with normal hearing show that the amount of temporal integration, defined as the level difference between equally loud short and long tones, varies...... markedly with level and is largest at moderate levels. The effect of level increases as the duration of the short stimulus decreases and is largest for comparisons between the 2- and 250-ms tones. The loudness-level jnds are also largest at moderate levels and, contrary to traditional jnds for the level...

  15. Probing the innermost regions of AGN jets and their magnetic fields with RadioAstron. II. Observations of 3C 273 at minimum activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruni, G.; Gómez, J. L.; Casadio, C.; Lobanov, A.; Kovalev, Y. Y.; Sokolovsky, K. V.; Lisakov, M. M.; Bach, U.; Marscher, A.; Jorstad, S.; Anderson, J. M.; Krichbaum, T. P.; Savolainen, T.; Vega-García, L.; Fuentes, A.; Zensus, J. A.; Alberdi, A.; Lee, S.-S.; Lu, R.-S.; Pérez-Torres, M.; Ros, E.

    2017-08-01

    Context. RadioAstron is a 10 m orbiting radio telescope mounted on the Spektr-R satellite, launched in 2011, performing Space Very Long Baseline Interferometry (SVLBI) observations supported by a global ground array of radio telescopes. With an apogee of 350 000 km, it is offering for the first time the possibility to perform μas-resolution imaging in the cm-band. Aims: The RadioAstron active galactic nuclei (AGN) polarization Key Science Project (KSP) aims at exploiting the unprecedented angular resolution provided by RadioAstron to study jet launching/collimation and magnetic-field configuration in AGN jets. The targets of our KSP are some of the most powerful blazars in the sky. Methods: We present observations at 22 GHz of 3C 273, performed in 2014, designed to reach a maximum baseline of approximately nine Earth diameters. Reaching an angular resolution of 0.3 mas, we study a particularly low-activity state of the source, and estimate the nuclear region brightness temperature, comparing with the extreme one detected one year before during the RadioAstron early science period. We also make use of the VLBA-BU-BLAZAR survey data, at 43 GHz, to study the kinematics of the jet in a 1.5-yr time window. Results: We find that the nuclear brightness temperature is two orders of magnitude lower than the exceptionally high value detected in 2013 with RadioAstron at the same frequency (1.4 × 1013 K, source-frame), and even one order of magnitude lower than the equipartition value. The kinematics analysis at 43 GHz shows that a new component was ejected 2 months after the 2013 epoch, visible also in our 22 GHz map presented here. Consequently this was located upstream of the core during the brightness temperature peak. Fermi-LAT observations for the period 2010-2014 do not show any γ-ray flare in conjunction with the passage of the new component by the core at 43 GHz. Conclusions: These observations confirm that the previously detected extreme brightness temperature in

  16. The radio properties of infrared-faint radio sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Middelberg, E.; Norris, R. P.; Hales, C. A.; Seymour, N.; Johnston-Hollitt, M.; Huynh, M. T.; Lenc, E.; Mao, M. Y.

    2011-02-01

    Context. Infrared-faint radio sources (IFRS) are objects that have flux densities of several mJy at 1.4 GHz, but that are invisible at 3.6 μm when using sensitive Spitzer observations with μJy sensitivities. Their nature is unclear and difficult to investigate since they are only visible in the radio. Aims: High-resolution radio images and comprehensive spectral coverage can yield constraints on the emission mechanisms of IFRS and can give hints to similarities with known objects. Methods: We imaged a sample of 17 IFRS at 4.8 GHz and 8.6 GHz with the Australia Telescope Compact Array to determine the structures on arcsecond scales. We added radio data from other observing projects and from the literature to obtain broad-band radio spectra. Results: We find that the sources in our sample are either resolved out at the higher frequencies or are compact at resolutions of a few arcsec, which implies that they are smaller than a typical galaxy. The spectra of IFRS are remarkably steep, with a median spectral index of -1.4 and a prominent lack of spectral indices larger than -0.7. We also find that, given the IR non-detections, the ratio of 1.4 GHz flux density to 3.6 μm flux density is very high, and this puts them into the same regime as high-redshift radio galaxies. Conclusions: The evidence that IFRS are predominantly high-redshift sources driven by active galactic nuclei (AGN) is strong, even though not all IFRS may be caused by the same phenomenon. Compared to the rare and painstakingly collected high-redshift radio galaxies, IFRS appear to be much more abundant, but less luminous, AGN-driven galaxies at similar cosmological distances.

  17. A COMPACT GROUP OF GALAXIES AT Z = 2.48 HOSTING AN AGN-DRIVEN OUTFLOW

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shih, Hsin-Yi [Gemini Observatory, 670 N Aohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); Stockton, Alan, E-mail: jshih@gemini.edu, E-mail: stockton@ifa.hawaii.edu [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)

    2015-12-10

    We present observations of a remarkable compact group of galaxies at z = 2.48. Four galaxies, all within 40 kpc of each other, surround a powerful high-redshift radio source. This group comprises two compact red passive galaxies and a pair of merging galaxies. One of the red galaxies, with an apparent stellar mass of 3.6 × 10{sup 11}M{sub ⊙} and an effective radius of 470 pc, is one of the most extreme examples of a massive quiescent compact galaxy found so far. One of the pair of merging galaxies hosts the active galactic nucleus (AGN) producing the large powerful radio structure. The merger is massive and enriched, consistent with the mass–metallicity relation expected at this redshift. Close to the merging nuclei, the emission lines exhibit broad and asymmetric profiles that suggest outflows powered either by a very young expanding radio jet or by AGN radiation. At ≳50 kpc from the system, we found a fainter extended-emission region that may be a part of a radio-jet-driven outflow.

  18. RADIO ACTIVE GALAXY NUCLEI IN GALAXY CLUSTERS: HEATING HOT ATMOSPHERES AND DRIVING SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE GROWTH OVER COSMIC TIME

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, C.-J.; McNamara, B. R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 (Canada); Nulsen, P. E. J. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138-1516 (United States)

    2013-01-20

    We estimate the average radio active galactic nucleus (AGN, mechanical) power deposited into the hot atmospheres of galaxy clusters over more than three quarters of the age of the Universe. Our sample was drawn from eight major X-ray cluster surveys and includes 685 clusters in the redshift range 0.1 < z < 0.6 that overlap the area covered by the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS). The radio-AGN mechanical power was estimated from the radio luminosity of central NVSS sources, using the relation of Cavagnolo et al. that is based on mechanical powers determined from the enthalpies of X-ray cavities. We find only a weak correlation between radio luminosity and cluster X-ray luminosity, although the most powerful radio sources reside in luminous clusters. The average AGN mechanical power of 3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 44} erg s{sup -1} exceeds the X-ray luminosity of 44% of the clusters, indicating that the accumulation of radio-AGN energy is significant in these clusters. Integrating the AGN mechanical power to redshift z = 2.0, using simple models for its evolution and disregarding the hierarchical growth of clusters, we find that the AGN energy accumulated per particle in low luminosity X-ray clusters exceeds 1 keV per particle. This result represents a conservative lower limit to the accumulated thermal energy. The estimate is comparable to the level of energy needed to 'preheat' clusters, indicating that continual outbursts from radio-AGN are a significant source of gas energy in hot atmospheres. Assuming an average mass conversion efficiency of {eta} = 0.1, our result implies that the supermassive black holes that released this energy did so by accreting an average of {approx}10{sup 9} M {sub Sun} over time, which is comparable to the level of growth expected during the quasar era.

  19. NGC 741—Mergers and AGN Feedback on a Galaxy-group Scale

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schellenberger, G.; Vrtilek, J. M.; David, L.; O’Sullivan, E. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Giacintucci, S. [Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Code 7213, Washington, DC 20375 (United States); Johnston-Hollitt, M.; Duchesne, S. W. [School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6140 (New Zealand); Raychaudhury, S., E-mail: gerrit.schellenberger@cfa.harvard.edu [Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Post Bag 4, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411007 (India)

    2017-08-10

    Low-mass galaxy cluster systems and groups will play an essential role in upcoming cosmological studies, such as those to be carried out with eROSITA. Though the effects of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and merging processes are of special importance to quantify biases like selection effects or deviations from hydrostatic equilibrium, they are poorly understood on the galaxy-group scale. We present an analysis of recent deep Chandra and XMM-Newton integrations of NGC 741 that provides an excellent example of a group with multiple concurrent phenomena: both an old central radio galaxy and a spectacular infalling head-tail source, strongly bent jets, a 100-kpc radio trail, intriguing narrow X-ray filaments, and gas-sloshing features. Supported principally by X-ray and radio continuum data, we address the merging history of the group, the nature of the X-ray filaments, the extent of gas-stripping from NGC 742, the character of cavities in the group, and the roles of the central AGN and infalling galaxy in heating the intra-group medium.

  20. Radio follow-up observations of stellar tidal disruption flares: Constraints on off-axis jets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Körding E.

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Observations of active galactic nuclei (AGN and X-ray binaries have shown that relativistic jets are ubiquitous when compact objects accrete. One could therefore anticipate the launch of a jet after a star is disrupted and accreted by a massive black hole. This birth of a relativistic jet may have been observed recently in two stellar tidal disruption flares (TDFs, which were discovered in gamma-rays by Swift. Yet no transient radio emission has been detected from the tens of TDF candidates that were discovered at optical to soft X-ray frequencies. Because the sample that was followed-up at radio frequencies is small, the non-detections can be explained by Doppler boosting, which reduces the jet flux for off-axis observers. Plus, the existing followup observation are mostly within ∼ 10 months of the discovery, so the non-detections can also be due to a delay of the radio emission with respect to the time of disruption. To test the conjecture that all TDFs launch jets, we obtained 5 GHz follow-up observations with the Jansky VLA of six known TDFs. To avoid missing delayed jet emission, our observations probe 1–8 years since the estimated time of disruption. None of the sources are detected, with very deep upper limits at the 10 micro Jansky level. These observations rule out the hypothesis that these TDFs launched jets similar to radio-loud quasars. We also constrain the possibility that the flares hosted a jet identical to Sw 1644+57.

  1. Uncovering extreme AGN variability in serendipitous X-ray source surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moran, Edward C.; Garcia Soto, Aylin; LaMassa, Stephanie; Urry, Meg

    2018-01-01

    Constraints on the duty cycle and duration of accretion episodes in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are vital for establishing how most AGNs are fueled, which is essential for a complete picture of black hole/galaxy co-evolution. Perhaps the best handle we have on these activity parameters is provided by AGNs that have displayed dramatic changes in their bolometric luminosities and, in some cases, spectroscopic classifications. Given that X-ray emission is directly linked to black-hole accretion, X-ray surveys should provide a straightforward means of identifying AGNs that have undergone dramatic changes in their accretion states. However, it appears that such events are very rare, so wide-area surveys separated in time by many years are needed to maximize discovery rates. We have cross-correlated the Einstein IPC Two-Sigma Catalog with the ROSAT All-Sky Survey Faint Source Catalog to identify a sample of soft X-ray sources that varied by factors ranging from 7 to more than 100 over a ten year timescale. When possible, we have constructed long-term X-ray light curves for the sources by combining the Einstein and RASS fluxes with those obtained from serendipitous pointed observations by ROSAT, Chandra,XMM, and Swift. Optical follow-up observations indicate that many of the extremely variable sources in our sample are indeed radio-quiet AGNs. Interestingly, the majority of objects that dimmed between ~1980 and ~1990 are still (or are again) broad-line AGNs rather than“changing-look” candidates that have more subtle AGN signatures in their spectra — despite the fact that none of the sources examined thus far has returned to its highest observed luminosity. Future X-ray observations will provide the opportunity to characterize the X-ray behavior of these anonymous, extreme AGNs over a four decade span.

  2. ENSEMBLE VARIABILITY OF NEAR-INFRARED-SELECTED ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kouzuma, S.; Yamaoka, H.

    2012-01-01

    We present the properties of the ensemble variability V for nearly 5000 near-infrared active galactic nuclei (AGNs) selected from the catalog of Quasars and Active Galactic Nuclei (13th Edition) and the SDSS-DR7 quasar catalog. From three near-infrared point source catalogs, namely, Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), Deep Near Infrared Survey (DENIS), and UKIDSS/LAS catalogs, we extract 2MASS-DENIS and 2MASS-UKIDSS counterparts for cataloged AGNs by cross-identification between catalogs. We further select variable AGNs based on an optimal criterion for selecting the variable sources. The sample objects are divided into subsets according to whether near-infrared light originates by optical emission or by near-infrared emission in the rest frame; and we examine the correlations of the ensemble variability with the rest-frame wavelength, redshift, luminosity, and rest-frame time lag. In addition, we also examine the correlations of variability amplitude with optical variability, radio intensity, and radio-to-optical flux ratio. The rest-frame optical variability of our samples shows negative correlations with luminosity and positive correlations with rest-frame time lag (i.e., the structure function, SF), and this result is consistent with previous analyses. However, no well-known negative correlation exists between the rest-frame wavelength and optical variability. This inconsistency might be due to a biased sampling of high-redshift AGNs. Near-infrared variability in the rest frame is anticorrelated with the rest-frame wavelength, which is consistent with previous suggestions. However, correlations of near-infrared variability with luminosity and rest-frame time lag are the opposite of these correlations of the optical variability; that is, the near-infrared variability is positively correlated with luminosity but negatively correlated with the rest-frame time lag. Because these trends are qualitatively consistent with the properties of radio-loud quasars reported

  3. Revolutionizing Our Understanding of AGN Feedback and its Importance to Galaxy Evolution in the Era of the Next Generation Very Large Array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nyland, K.; Harwood, J. J.; Mukherjee, D.; Jagannathan, P.; Rujopakarn, W.; Emonts, B.; Alatalo, K.; Bicknell, G. V.; Davis, T. A.; Greene, J. E.; Kimball, A.; Lacy, M.; Lonsdale, Carol; Lonsdale, Colin; Maksym, W. P.; Molnár, D. C.; Morabito, L.; Murphy, E. J.; Patil, P.; Prandoni, I.; Sargent, M.; Vlahakis, C.

    2018-05-01

    Energetic feedback by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) plays an important evolutionary role in the regulation of star formation on galactic scales. However, the effects of this feedback as a function of redshift and galaxy properties such as mass, environment, and cold gas content remain poorly understood. The broad frequency coverage (1 to 116 GHz), high sensitivity (up to ten times higher than the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array), and superb angular resolution (maximum baselines of at least a few hundred kilometers) of the proposed next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) are uniquely poised to revolutionize our understanding of AGNs and their role in galaxy evolution. Here, we provide an overview of the science related to AGN feedback that will be possible in the ngVLA era and present new continuum ngVLA imaging simulations of resolved radio jets spanning a wide range of intrinsic extents. We also consider key computational challenges and discuss exciting opportunities for multiwavelength synergy with other next-generation instruments, such as the Square Kilometer Array and the James Webb Space Telescope. The unique combination of high-resolution, large collecting area, and wide frequency range will enable significant advancements in our understanding of the effects of jet-driven feedback on sub-galactic scales, particularly for sources with extents of a few parsec to a few kiloparsec, such as young and/or lower-power radio AGNs, AGNs hosted by low-mass galaxies, radio jets that are interacting strongly with the interstellar medium of the host galaxy, and AGNs at high redshift.

  4. Optical monitoring of Active Galactic Nuclei from ARIES

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gopal-Krishna; Wiita, Paul Joseph

    2018-04-01

    This overview provides a historical perspective highlighting the pioneering role which the fairly modest observational facilities of ARIES have played since the 1990s in systematically characterizing the optical variability on hour-like time scale (intra-night optical variability, or INOV) of several major types of high-luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Such information was previously available only for blazars. Similar studies have since been initiated in at least a dozen countries, giving a boost to AGN variability research. Our work has, in particular, provided strong indication that mild INOV occurs in radio-quiet QSOs (amplitude up to 3 – 5 % and duty cycle 10%) and, moreover, has demonstrated that similarly mild INOV is exhibited even by the vast majority of radio-loud quasars which possess powerful relativistic jets (even including many that are beamed towards us). The solitary outliers are blazars, the tiny strongly polarized subset of powerful AGN, which frequently exhibit a pronounced INOV. Among the blazars, BL Lac objects often show a bluer-when-brighter chromatic behavior, while the flat spectrum radio quasars seem not to. Quantifying any differences of INOV among the major subclasses of non-blazar type AGNs will require dedicated monitoring programs using 2 - 3 metre class telescopes.

  5. Directional loudness perception

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sivonen, Ville Pekka

    developed. The research and modeling of loudness have mainly been concerned with the temporal and spectral aspects of sounds, while the spatial aspects have mostly been overlooked. This PhD thesis investigates the spatial aspects of loudness perception, namely, how does the direction from which a sound...

  6. AGN feedback in action? - outflows and star formation in type 2 AGNs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woo, Jong-Hak

    2017-01-01

    We present the statistical constraints on the ionized gas outflows and their connection to star formation, using a large sample of ~110,000 AGNs and star-forming galaxies at z dispersion of star forming galaxies can be entirely accounted by the gravitational potential of host galaxies, AGNs clearly show non-gravitational kinematics, which is comparable to or stronger than the virial motion caused by the gravitational potential. Second, the distribution in the [OIII] velocity - velocity dispersion diagram dramatically expands toward large values with increasing AGN luminosity, implying that the outflows are AGN-driven. Third, the fraction of AGNs with a signature of outflow kinematics, steeply increases with AGN luminosity and Eddington ratio. In particular, the majority of luminous AGNs presents strong non-gravitational kinematics in the [OIII] profile. Interestingly, we find that the specific star formation of non-outflow AGNs is much lower than that of strong outflow AGNs, while the star formation rate of strong outflow AGNs is comparable to that of star forming galaxies. We interpret this trend as a delayed AGN feedback as it takes dynamical time for the outflows to suppress star formation in galactic scales.

  7. Correlating The Star Formation Histories Of MaNGA Galaxies With Their Past AGN Activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez Ortiz, Andrea

    2017-01-01

    We investigate active galactic nuclei (AGN) as a primary mechanism affecting star formation in MaNGA galaxies. Using the Pipe3D code, we modeled the stellar population from MaNGA spectra and derived the star formation histories of 53 AGN host galaxies. We seek to compare the star formation histories of the host galaxies of AGN with the ages of their radio lobes to better understand the role of AGN feedback in the star formation histories of MaNGA galaxies. MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO) is one of the three core programs in the fourth generation Sloan Digital Sky Survey(SDSS). MaNGA will investigate the internal kinematics of nearly 10,000 local galaxies through dithered observations using fiber integral field units (IFUs) that vary in diameter from 12" (19 fibers) to 32" (127 fibers). In this poster, we present initial results on the star formation histories of MaNGA AGN host galaxies. This work was supported by the SDSS Research Experience for Undergraduates program, which is funded by a grant from Sloan Foundation to the Astrophysical Research Consortium.

  8. Large-Scale Environment Properties of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies at z < 0.4

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Järvelä, Emilia [Metsähovi Radio Observatory, Aalto University, Espoo (Finland); Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering, Aalto University, Espoo (Finland); Lähteenmäki, A. [Metsähovi Radio Observatory, Aalto University, Espoo (Finland); Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering, Aalto University, Espoo (Finland); Tartu Observatory, Tõravere (Estonia); Lietzen, H., E-mail: emilia.jarvela@aalto.fi [Tartu Observatory, Tõravere (Estonia)

    2017-11-30

    The large-scale environment is believed to affect the evolution and intrinsic properties of galaxies. It offers a new perspective on narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1) which have not been extensively studied in this context before. We study a large and diverse sample of 960 NLS1 galaxies using a luminosity-density field constructed using Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We investigate how the large-scale environment is connected to the properties of NLS1 galaxies, especially their radio loudness. Furthermore, we compare the large-scale environment properties of NLS1 galaxies with other active galactic nuclei (AGN) classes, for example, other jetted AGN and broad-line Seyfert 1 (BLS1) galaxies, to shed light on their possible relations. In general NLS1 galaxies reside in less dense large-scale environments than any of our comparison samples, thus supporting their young age. The average luminosity-density and distribution to different luminosity-density regions of NLS1 sources is significantly different compared to BLS1 galaxies. This contradicts the simple orientation-based unification of NLS1 and BLS1 galaxies, and weakens the hypothesis that BLS1 galaxies are the parent population of NLS1 galaxies. The large-scale environment density also has an impact on the intrinsic properties of NLS1 galaxies; the radio loudness increases with the increasing luminosity-density. However, our results suggest that the NLS1 population is indeed heterogeneous, and that a considerable fraction of them are misclassified. We support a suggested description that the traditional classification based on the radio loudness should be replaced with the division to jetted and non-jetted sources.

  9. The Correlation between γ-Ray and Radio Emissions for the Fermi ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Abstract. Based upon the Fermi blazars sample, the radio and γ-ray emissions are compiled for a sample of 74 γ-ray loud blazars to calculate the radio to γ-ray effective spectrum index αRγ . The correlations between. αRγ and γ-ray luminosity, and between radio and γ-ray luminosity are also investigated. Key words.

  10. Diffuse γ-ray emission from misaligned active galactic nuclei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Di Mauro, M.; Donato, F. [Physics Department, Torino University, and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino, via Giuria 1, I-10125 Torino (Italy); Calore, F. [II. Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, D-22761 Hamburg (Germany); Ajello, M. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Latronico, L., E-mail: donato@to.infn.it [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino, via Giuria 1, I-10125 Torino (Italy)

    2014-01-10

    Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with jets seen at small viewing angles are the most luminous and abundant objects in the γ-ray sky. AGNs with jets misaligned along the line of sight appear fainter in the sky but are more numerous than the brighter blazars. We calculate the diffuse γ-ray emission due to the population of misaligned AGNs (MAGNs) unresolved by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi). A correlation between the γ-ray luminosity and the radio-core luminosity is established and demonstrated to be physical by statistical tests, as well as compatible with upper limits based on Fermi-LAT data for a large sample of radio-loud MAGNs. We constrain the derived γ-ray luminosity function by means of the source-count distribution of the radio galaxies detected by the Fermi-LAT. We finally calculate the diffuse γ-ray flux due to the whole MAGN population. Our results demonstrate that MAGNs can contribute from 10% up to nearly the entire measured isotropic gamma-ray background. We evaluate a theoretical uncertainty on the flux of almost an order of magnitude.

  11. Tracking Galaxy Evolution Through Low-Frequency Radio ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    This justify focussing on transitional galaxies to find relic-evidences of the immediate past AGN-feedback which decide the future course of evolution of a galaxy. Relic radio lobes can be best detected in low frequency observations with the GMRT, LOFAR and in future SKA. The age of these relic radio plasma can be as old ...

  12. Temporal integration of loudness measured using categorical loudness scaling and matching procedures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Valente, Daniel L.; Joshi, Suyash Narendra; Jesteadt, Walt

    2011-01-01

    integration of loudness and previously reported nonmonotonic behavior observed at mid-sound pressure level levels is replicated with this procedure. Stimuli that are assigned to the same category are effectively matched in loudness, allowing the measurement of temporal integration with CLS without curve...

  13. X-ray View of Four High-Luminosity Swift-BAT AGN: Unveiling Obscuration and Reflection with Suzaku

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiorettil, V.; Angelini, L.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Koss, M.; Malaguti, G.

    2013-01-01

    Aims. A complete census of obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is necessary to reveal the history of the super massive black hole (SMBH) growth and galaxy evolution in the Universe given the complex feedback processes and the fact that much of this growth occurs in an obscured phase. In this context, hard X-ray surveys and dedicated follow-up observations represent a unique tool for selecting highly absorbed AGN and for characterizing the obscuring matter surrounding the SMBH. Here we focus on the absorption and reflection occurring in highly luminous, quasar-like AGN, to study the relation between the geometry of the absorbing matter and the AGN nature (e.g. X-ray, optical, and radio properties), and to help to determine the column density dependency on the AGN luminosity. Methods. The Swift/BAT nine-month survey observed 153 AGN, all with ultra-hard X-ray BAT fluxes in excess of 10(exp -11) erg per square centimeter and an average redshift of 0.03. Among them, four of the most luminous BAT AGN (44.73 less than LogLBAT less than 45.31) were selected as targets of Suzaku follow-up observations: J2246.0+3941 (3C 452), J0407.4+0339 (3C 105), J0318.7+6828, and J0918.5+0425. The column density, scattered/reflected emission, the properties of the Fe K line, and a possible variability are fully analyzed. For the latter, the spectral properties from Chandra, XMM-Newton and Swift/XRT public observations were compared with the present Suzaku analysis, adding an original spectral analysis when non was available from the literature. Results. Of our sample, 3C 452 is the only certain Compton-thick AGN candidate because of i) the high absorption (N(sub H) approximately 4 × 10(exp 23) per square centimeter) and strong Compton reflection; ii) the lack of variability; iii) the "buried" nature, i.e. the low scattering fraction (less than 0.5%) and the extremely low relative [OIII] luminosity. In contrast 3C 105 is not reflection-dominated, despite the comparable column density

  14. Observations of active galactic nuclei from radio to gamma-rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boeck, Moritz

    2013-01-01

    In this work, Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) - the brightest persistent objects in the universe - are discussed. According to current knowledge they consist out of several components. The central object of such systems is a supermassive black hole located in the center of a galaxy. Estimated masses of such black holes range from millions to billions of solar masses. The enormous gravitational field of the black hole affects material in its surrounding. Matter, such as gas, dust particles or stellar wind virtually provides the fuel for the AGN. The accretion process is highly efficient and partly explains the extreme luminosities of Active Galactic Nuclei. The thermal emission of the accretion disk is, however, insufficient for explaining the total emission of AGN. Observations show that some of these objects are visible throughout the complete electromagnetic spectrum. The emission in the radio regime as well as, most likely, high-energy emission seem to originate from jets. Unlike material accreted by the black hole, jets are collimated outflows with velocities near the speed of light. AGN are not completely understood. There are numerous open questions remaining, such as the exact accretion geometry, the formation and composition of the relativistic jets, the interaction between different components of these systems, as well as the place of origin and the underlying physical processes of the emission in different energy ranges. In order to address these questions a multiwavelength analysis of AGN has been performed in this work. The different energy regimes and observational techniques allow for insights into different processes and properties of such objects. A study of the connection between the accretion disk and properties of the jet has been done based on the object NGC 1052 using radio and X-ray observations. This object is a galaxy with an active nucleus. In the radio regime a double-sided jet with a projected length of several kpc is visible. In addition

  15. The broad-band SEDs of four `hypervariable' AGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collinson, James S.; Ward, Martin J.; Lawrence, Andy; Bruce, Alastair; MacLeod, Chelsea L.; Elvis, Martin; Gezari, Suvi; Marshall, Philip J.; Done, Chris

    2018-03-01

    We present an optical-to-X-ray spectral analysis of four `hypervariable' AGN (HVAs) discovered by comparing Pan-STARRS data to that from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey over a 10 yr baseline (Lawrence et al.). There is some evidence that these objects are X-ray loud for their corresponding UV luminosities, but given that we measured them in a historic high state, it is not clear whether to take the high state or low state as typical of the properties of these HVAs. We estimate black hole masses based on Mg II and H α emission line profiles, and either the high- or low-state luminosities, finding mass ranges log (MBH/M⊙) = 8.2-8.8 and log (MBH/M⊙) = 7.9-8.3, respectively. We then fit energy-conserving models to the spectral energy distributions (SEDs), obtaining strong constraints on the bolometric luminosity and αOX. We compare the SED properties with a larger, X-ray selected AGN sample for both of these scenarios, and observe distinct groupings in spectral shape versus luminosity parameter space. In general, the SED properties are closer to normal if we assume that the low state is representative. This supports the idea that the large slow outbursts may be due to extrinsic effects (for example microlensing) as opposed to accretion rate changes, but a larger sample of HVAs is needed to be confident of this conclusion.

  16. DISCOVERY OF A PSEUDOBULGE GALAXY LAUNCHING POWERFUL RELATIVISTIC JETS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kotilainen, Jari K.; Olguín-Iglesias, Alejandro [Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO (FINCA), University of Turku, Väisäläntie 20, FI-21500 Piikkiö (Finland); León-Tavares, Jonathan; Baes, Maarten [Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281-S9, B-9000 Gent (Belgium); Anórve, Christopher [Facultad de Ciencias de la Tierra y del Espacio de la Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Blvd. de la Americas y Av. Universitarios S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, C.P. 80010, Culiacán Sinaloa, México (Mexico); Chavushyan, Vahram; Carrasco, Luis, E-mail: jarkot@utu.fi [Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE), Apartado Postal 51 y 216, 72000 Puebla (Mexico)

    2016-12-01

    Supermassive black holes launching plasma jets at close to the speed of light, producing gamma-rays, have ubiquitously been found to be hosted by massive elliptical galaxies. Since elliptical galaxies are generally believed to be built through galaxy mergers, active galactic nuclei (AGN) launching relativistic jets are associated with the latest stages of galaxy evolution. We have discovered a pseudobulge morphology in the host galaxy of the gamma-ray AGN PKS 2004-447. This is the first gamma-ray emitter radio-loud AGN found to have been launched from a system where both the black hole and host galaxy have been actively growing via secular processes. This is evidence of an alternative black hole–galaxy co-evolutionary path to develop powerful relativistic jets, which is not merger driven.

  17. Spectral and binaural loudness summation for hearing-impaired listeners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oetting, Dirk; Hohmann, Volker; Appell, Jens-E; Kollmeier, Birger; Ewert, Stephan D

    2016-05-01

    Sensorineural hearing loss typically results in a steepened loudness function and a reduced dynamic range from elevated thresholds to uncomfortably loud levels for narrowband and broadband signals. Restoring narrowband loudness perception for hearing-impaired (HI) listeners can lead to overly loud perception of broadband signals and it is unclear how binaural presentation affects loudness perception in this case. Here, loudness perception quantified by categorical loudness scaling for nine normal-hearing (NH) and ten HI listeners was compared for signals with different bandwidth and different spectral shape in monaural and in binaural conditions. For the HI listeners, frequency- and level-dependent amplification was used to match the narrowband monaural loudness functions of the NH listeners. The average loudness functions for NH and HI listeners showed good agreement for monaural broadband signals. However, HI listeners showed substantially greater loudness for binaural broadband signals than NH listeners: on average a 14.1 dB lower level was required to reach "very loud" (range 30.8 to -3.7 dB). Overall, with narrowband loudness compensation, a given binaural loudness for broadband signals above "medium loud" was reached at systematically lower levels for HI than for NH listeners. Such increased binaural loudness summation was not found for loudness categories below "medium loud" or for narrowband signals. Large individual variations in the increased loudness summation were observed and could not be explained by the audiogram or the narrowband loudness functions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. AGES: THE AGN AND GALAXY EVOLUTION SURVEY

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kochanek, C. S. [Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Eisenstein, D. J.; Caldwell, N.; Jones, C.; Murray, S. S.; Forman, W. R.; Green, P. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Cool, R. J. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Peyton Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Assef, R. J.; Eisenhardt, P.; Stern, D. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Jannuzi, B. T.; Dey, A. [NOAO, 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Brown, M. J. I. [School of Physics, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800 (Australia); Gonzalez, A. H. [Department of Astronomy, Bryant Space Science Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States)

    2012-05-01

    The AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey (AGES) is a redshift survey covering, in its standard fields, 7.7 deg{sup 2} of the Booetes field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey. The final sample consists of 23,745 redshifts. There are well-defined galaxy samples in 10 bands (the B{sub W} , R, I, J, K, IRAC 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 {mu}m, and MIPS 24 {mu}m bands) to a limiting magnitude of I < 20 mag for spectroscopy. For these galaxies, we obtained 18,163 redshifts from a sample of 35,200 galaxies, where random sparse sampling was used to define statistically complete sub-samples in all 10 photometric bands. The median galaxy redshift is 0.31, and 90% of the redshifts are in the range 0.085 < z < 0.66. Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) were selected as radio, X-ray, IRAC mid-IR, and MIPS 24 {mu}m sources to fainter limiting magnitudes (I < 22.5 mag for point sources). Redshifts were obtained for 4764 quasars and galaxies with AGN signatures, with 2926, 1718, 605, 119, and 13 above redshifts of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. We detail all the AGES selection procedures and present the complete spectroscopic redshift catalogs and spectral energy distribution decompositions. Photometric redshift estimates are provided for all sources in the AGES samples.

  19. INVISIBLE ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI. II. RADIO MORPHOLOGIES AND FIVE NEW H i 21 cm ABSORPTION LINE DETECTORS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yan, Ting; Stocke, John T.; Darling, Jeremy [Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, UCB 389, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0389 (United States); Momjian, Emmanuel [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box O, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States); Sharma, Soniya [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Australian National University, Mt Stromlo Observatory, ACT 2611 (Australia); Kanekar, Nissim [National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, TIFR, Post Bag 3, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007 (India)

    2016-03-15

    This is the second paper directed toward finding new highly redshifted atomic and molecular absorption lines at radio frequencies. To this end, we selected a sample of 80 candidates for obscured radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and presented their basic optical/near-infrared (NIR) properties in Paper I. In this paper, we present both high-resolution radio continuum images for all of these sources and H i 21 cm absorption spectroscopy for a few selected sources in this sample. A-configuration 4.9 and 8.5 GHz Very Large Array continuum observations find that 52 sources are compact or have substantial compact components with size <0.″5 and flux densities >0.1 Jy at 4.9 GHz. The 36 most compact sources were then observed with the Very Long Baseline Array at 1.4 GHz. One definite and 10 candidate Compact Symmetric Objects (CSOs) are newly identified, which is a detection rate of CSOs ∼three times higher than the detection rate previously found in purely flux-limited samples. Based on possessing compact components with high flux densities, 60 of these sources are good candidates for absorption-line searches. Twenty-seven sources were observed for H i 21 cm absorption at their photometric or spectroscopic redshifts with only six detections (five definite and one tentative). However, five of these were from a small subset of six CSOs with pure galaxy optical/NIR spectra (i.e., any AGN emission is obscured) and for which accurate spectroscopic redshifts place the redshifted 21 cm line in a radio frequency intereference (RFI)-free spectral “window” (i.e., the percentage of H i 21 cm absorption-line detections could be as high as ∼90% in this sample). It is likely that the presence of ubiquitous RFI and the absence of accurate spectroscopic redshifts preclude H i detections in similar sources (only 1 detection out of the remaining 22 sources observed, 13 of which have only photometric redshifts); that is, H i absorption may well be present but is masked by

  20. Can Loud Music Hurt My Ears?

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Videos for Educators Search English Español Can Loud Music Hurt My Ears? KidsHealth / For Kids / Can Loud Music Hurt My Ears? Print en español La música ... up? Oh! You want to know if loud music can hurt your ears . Are you asking because ...

  1. Population Studies of Radio and Gamma-Ray Pulsars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harding, Alice K; Gonthier, Peter; Coltisor, Stefan

    2004-01-01

    Rotation-powered pulsars are one of the most promising candidates for at least some of the 40-50 EGRET unidentified gamma-ray sources that lie near the Galactic plane. Since the end of the EGRO mission, the more sensitive Parkes Multibeam radio survey has detected mere than two dozen new radio pulsars in or near unidentified EGRET sources, many of which are young and energetic. These results raise an important question about the nature of radio quiescence in gamma-ray pulsars: is the non-detection of radio emission a matter of beaming or of sensitivity? The answer is very dependent on the geometry of the radio and gamma-ray beams. We present results of a population synthesis of pulsars in the Galaxy, including for the first time the full geometry of the radio and gamma-ray beams. We use a recent empirically derived model of the radio emission and luminosity, and a gamma-ray emission geometry and luminosity derived theoretically from pair cascades in the polar slot gap. The simulation includes characteristics of eight radio surveys of the Princeton catalog plus the Parkes MB survey. Our results indicate that EGRET was capable of detecting several dozen pulsars as point sources, with the ratio of radio-loud to radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsars increasing significantly to about ten to one when the Parkes Survey is included. Polar cap models thus predict that many of the unidentified EGRET sources could be radio-loud gamma- ray pulsars, previously undetected as radio pulsars due to distance, large dispersion and lack of sensitivity. If true, this would make gamma-ray telescopes a potentially more sensitive tool for detecting distant young neutron stars in the Galactic plane.

  2. DISENTANGLING AGN AND STAR FORMATION ACTIVITY AT HIGH REDSHIFT USING HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE GRISM SPECTROSCOPY

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bridge, Joanna S.; Zeimann, Gregory R.; Trump, Jonathan R.; Gronwall, Caryl; Ciardullo, Robin; Fox, Derek; Schneider, Donald P., E-mail: jsbridge@psu.edu [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)

    2016-08-01

    Differentiating between active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity and star formation in z ∼ 2 galaxies is difficult because traditional methods, such as line-ratio diagnostics, change with redshift, while multi-wavelength methods (X-ray, radio, IR) are sensitive to only the brightest AGNs. We have developed a new method for spatially resolving emission lines using the Hubble Space Telescope /Wide Field Camera 3 G141 grism spectra and quantifying AGN activity through the spatial gradient of the [O iii]/H β line ratio. Through detailed simulations, we show that our novel line-ratio gradient approach identifies ∼40% more low-mass and obscured AGNs than obtained by classical methods. Based on our simulations, we developed a relationship that maps the stellar mass, star formation rate, and measured [O iii]/H β gradient to the AGN Eddington ratio. We apply our technique to previously studied stacked samples of galaxies at z ∼ 2 and find that our results are consistent with these studies. This gradient method will also be able to inform other areas of galaxy evolution science, such as inside-out quenching and metallicity gradients, and will be widely applicable to future spatially resolved James Webb Space Telescope data.

  3. DISENTANGLING AGN AND STAR FORMATION ACTIVITY AT HIGH REDSHIFT USING HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE GRISM SPECTROSCOPY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bridge, Joanna S.; Zeimann, Gregory R.; Trump, Jonathan R.; Gronwall, Caryl; Ciardullo, Robin; Fox, Derek; Schneider, Donald P.

    2016-01-01

    Differentiating between active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity and star formation in z ∼ 2 galaxies is difficult because traditional methods, such as line-ratio diagnostics, change with redshift, while multi-wavelength methods (X-ray, radio, IR) are sensitive to only the brightest AGNs. We have developed a new method for spatially resolving emission lines using the Hubble Space Telescope /Wide Field Camera 3 G141 grism spectra and quantifying AGN activity through the spatial gradient of the [O iii]/H β line ratio. Through detailed simulations, we show that our novel line-ratio gradient approach identifies ∼40% more low-mass and obscured AGNs than obtained by classical methods. Based on our simulations, we developed a relationship that maps the stellar mass, star formation rate, and measured [O iii]/H β gradient to the AGN Eddington ratio. We apply our technique to previously studied stacked samples of galaxies at z ∼ 2 and find that our results are consistent with these studies. This gradient method will also be able to inform other areas of galaxy evolution science, such as inside-out quenching and metallicity gradients, and will be widely applicable to future spatially resolved James Webb Space Telescope data.

  4. Factors influencing tinnitus loudness and annoyance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiller, Wolfgang; Goebel, Gerhard

    2006-12-01

    To evaluate the 2 major components of tinnitus severity, loudness and annoyance, and their degree of dependence on characteristics of tinnitus manifestation, history, and etiology. Cross-sectional survey performed during the first months of 2004. Nonclinical population. A total of 4995 members of the German Tinnitus League. Comprehensive screening questionnaire, including the Klockhoff and Lindblom loudness grading system and the miniversion of the Tinnitus Questionnaire. A moderate correlation of 0.45 was found between tinnitus loudness and annoyance. Both factors were generally higher in men, those older than 50 years, those with binaural and centrally perceived tinnitus, those with increased noise sensitivity, and those who had continuous tinnitus without interruptions. Tinnitus that lasted 12 months or less had a stronger influence on annoyance (odds ratio [OR], 1.96) than on loudness (OR, 0.45), whereas the contrary was found for tinnitus of more than 5 years' duration (ORs, 0.72 and 2.11, respectively). Loudness and annoyance were increased in subjects with coexisting hearing loss, vertigo, and hyperacusis. The impact of hyperacusis on annoyance was clearly stronger than on loudness (ORs, 21.91 vs 9.47). Several clinical factors of tinnitus influence perceived loudness and annoyance. Both are distinguishable components of tinnitus severity.

  5. THE COMPLEX NORTH TRANSITION REGION OF CENTAURUS A: RADIO STRUCTURE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neff, Susan G. [NASA' s Goddard Space Flight Center, Laboratory for Observational Cosmology, Mail Code 665, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Eilek, Jean A. [Physics Department, New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States); Owen, Frazer N., E-mail: susan.g.neff@nasa.gov [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box O,  Socorro, NM 87801 (United States)

    2015-04-01

    We present deep radio images of the inner ∼50 kpc of Centaurus A, taken with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array at 90 cm. We focus on the Transition Regions between the inner galaxy—including the active nucleus, inner radio lobes, and star-forming disk—and the outer radio lobes. We detect previously unknown extended emission around the Inner Lobes, including radio emission from the star-forming disk. We find that the radio-loud part of the North Transition Region (NTR), known as the North Middle Lobe, is significantly overpressured relative to the surrounding interstellar medium. We see no evidence for a collimated flow from the active galactic nucleus through this region. Our images show that the structure identified by Morganti et al. as a possible large-scale jet appears to be part of a narrow ridge of emission within the broader, diffuse, radio-loud region. This knotty radio ridge is coincident with other striking phenomena: compact X-ray knots, ionized gas filaments, and streams of young stars. Several short-lived phenomena in the NTR, as well as the frequent re-energization required by the Outer Lobes, suggest that energy must be flowing through both Transition Regions at the present epoch. We suggest that the energy flow is in the form of a galactic wind.

  6. Self-consistent two-phase AGN torus models⋆. SED library for observers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siebenmorgen, Ralf; Heymann, Frank; Efstathiou, Andreas

    2015-11-01

    We assume that dust near active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is distributed in a torus-like geometry, which can be described as a clumpy medium or a homogeneous disk, or as a combination of the two (i.e. a two-phase medium). The dust particles considered are fluffy and have higher submillimeter emissivities than grains in the diffuse interstellar medium. The dust-photon interaction is treated in a fully self-consistent three-dimensional radiative transfer code. We provide an AGN library of spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Its purpose is to quickly obtain estimates of the basic parameters of the AGNs, such as the intrinsic luminosity of the central source, the viewing angle, the inner radius, the volume filling factor and optical depth of the clouds, and the optical depth of the disk midplane, and to predict the flux at yet unobserved wavelengths. The procedure is simple and consists of finding an element in the library that matches the observations. We discuss the general properties of the models and in particular the 10 μm silicate band. The AGN library accounts well for the observed scatter of the feature strengths and wavelengths of the peak emission. AGN extinction curves are discussed and we find that there is no direct one-to-one link between the observed extinction and the wavelength dependence of the dust cross sections. We show that objects in the library cover the observed range of mid-infrared colors of known AGNs. The validity of the approach is demonstrated by matching the SEDs of a number of representative objects: Four Seyferts and two quasars for which we present new Herschel photometry, two radio galaxies, and one hyperluminous infrared galaxy. Strikingly, for the five luminous objects we find that pure AGN models fit the SED without needing to postulate starburst activity. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.The SED

  7. [Transfer of the AGnES concept to the regular German health-care system: legal evaluation, reimbursement, qualification].

    Science.gov (United States)

    van den Berg, N; Kleinke, S; Heymann, R; Oppermann, R F; Jakobi, B; Hoffmann, W

    2010-05-01

    According to an amendment of German social security legislation, the AGnES concept of delegation of certain tasks of medical care, especially house calls, by general practitioners (GPs) to qualified practice employees (AGnES employees), will be transferred into the regular German health care system from January 2009 onward. The concept was developed to support GPs in regions with imminent gaps in primary care. Patient data, the specifically delegated and all other activities carried out by the AGnES employees in the AGnES projects were digitally documented. Additionally, the participating GPs, AGnES employees and patients underwent a set of standardised interviews. A curriculum to qualify the AGnES employees and to define the requirements needed was developed. A legal assessment of all delegated activities was carried out, and an economical model to calculate the necessary allowance was calculated. In seven model projects in four federal states in Germany, 11,228 house calls were carried out involving 1,424, mostly multimorbid, patients (mean age: 78.6 years). A modular structured curriculum, considering the basic education and acquired competences, was developed. It allows for an individual qualification of the AGnES employees. The result of the legal assessment was the central relevance of the qualification of the practice employees according to the AGnES curriculum as the essential condition for carrying out the entire range of activities of the AGnES concept. The economic model revealed euro 21.58 for a house call by an AGnES employee. The underlying model referred to underserved regions. A successful transfer of the AGnES concept with a high standard of quality into regular health-care depends on several factors. Of particular importance is the specific qualification of the practice employees, which is a central legal condition for the delegation of medical tasks from GPs to AGnEs employees. A second determining factor is also an adequate reimbursement within

  8. Development of an Improved Time Varying Loudness Model with the Inclusion of Binaural Loudness Summation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charbonneau, Jeremy

    As the perceived quality of a product is becoming more important in the manufacturing industry, more emphasis is being placed on accurately predicting the sound quality of everyday objects. This study was undertaken to improve upon current prediction techniques with regard to the psychoacoustic descriptor of loudness and an improved binaural summation technique. The feasibility of this project was first investigated through a loudness matching experiment involving thirty-one subjects and pure tones of constant sound pressure level. A dependence of binaural summation on frequency was observed which had previously not been a subject of investigation in the reviewed literature. A follow-up investigation was carried out with forty-eight volunteers and pure tones of constant sensation level. Contrary to existing theories in literature the resulting loudness matches revealed an amplitude versus frequency relationship which confirmed the perceived increase in loudness when a signal was presented to both ears simultaneously as opposed to one ear alone. The resulting trend strongly indicated that the higher the frequency of the presented signal, the greater the increase in observed binaural summation. The results from each investigation were summarized into a single binaural summation algorithm and inserted into an improved time-varying loudness model. Using experimental techniques, it was demonstrated that the updated binaural summation algorithm was a considerable improvement over the state of the art approach for predicting the perceived binaural loudness. The improved function retained the ease of use from the original model while additionally providing accurate estimates of diotic listening conditions from monaural WAV files. It was clearly demonstrated using a validation jury test that the revised time-varying loudness model was a significant improvement over the previously standardized approach.

  9. Active galactic nuclei. From the central engine to the host galaxy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilbert, Didier

    2008-01-01

    After some recalls on galaxies, on their classification, on the Universe expansion and on the Hubble law, this academic report addresses active galactic nuclei (AGN) by describing their anatomy (central black hole, accretion disk, jets and winds, Broad Line Region, Narrow Line Region, molecular torus and dusts, radio lobes). The author also presents the unified model. In the next part, he proposes an overview of active galaxies and active galactic nuclei by distinguishing galaxies with a strong stellar activity, radio-quiet and radio-loud active galactic nuclei. Examples are presented for each of these types. In the last part, the author draws perspectives for research in cosmology, and outlines questions which are still to be answered

  10. THE ORIGIN OF THE INFRARED EMISSION IN RADIO GALAXIES. II. ANALYSIS OF MID- TO FAR-INFRARED SPITZER OBSERVATIONS OF THE 2JY SAMPLE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dicken, D.; Tadhunter, C.; Axon, D.; Morganti, R.; Inskip, K. J.; Holt, J.; Groves, B.; Delgado, R. Gonzalez

    2009-01-01

    We present an analysis of deep mid- to far-infrared (MFIR) Spitzer photometric observations of the southern 2Jy sample of powerful radio sources (0.05 < z < 0.7), conducting a statistical investigation of the links between radio jet, active galactic nucleus (AGN), starburst activity and MFIR properties. This is part of an ongoing extensive study of powerful radio galaxies that benefits from both complete optical emission line information and a uniquely high detection rate in the far-infrared (far-IR). We find tight correlations between the MFIR and [O III]λ5007 emission luminosities, which are significantly better than those between MFIR and extended radio luminosities, or between radio and [O III] luminosities. Since [O III] is a known indicator of intrinsic AGN power, these correlations confirm AGN illumination of the circumnuclear dust as the primary heating mechanism for the dust producing thermal MFIR emission at both 24 and 70 μm. We demonstrate that AGN heating is energetically feasible, and identify the narrow-line region clouds as the most likely location of the cool, far-IR emitting dust. Starbursts make a major contribution to the heating of the cool dust in only 15%-28% of our targets. We also investigate the orientation dependence of the continuum properties, finding that the broad- and narrow-line objects in our sample with strong emission lines have similar distributions of MFIR luminosities and colors. Therefore our results are entirely consistent with the orientation-based unified schemes for powerful radio galaxies. However, the weak line radio galaxies form a separate class of objects with intrinsically low-luminosity AGNs in which both the optical emission lines and the MFIR continuum are weak.

  11. The physical properties of galaxies with unusually red mid-infrared colours

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kauffmann, Guinevere

    2018-02-01

    The goal of this paper is to investigate the physical nature of galaxies in the redshift range 0.02 Survey Explorer, W1 - W2 band) colours is sharply peaked, with a long tail to much redder W1 - W2 colours. We introduce a procedure to pull out the red outlier population based on a combination of three stellar population diagnostics. When compared with optically selected active galactic nucleus (AGN), red outliers are more likely to be found in massive galaxies, and they tend to have lower stellar mass densities, younger stellar ages and higher dust content than optically selected AGN hosts. They are twice as likely to be detected at radio wavelengths. We examine W1 - W2 colour profiles for a subset of the nearest, reddest outliers and find that most are not centrally peaked, indicating that the hot dust emission is spread throughout the galaxy. We find that radio luminosity is the quantity that is most predictive of a redder central W1 - W2 colour. Radio-loud galaxies with centrally concentrated hot dust emission are almost always morphologically disturbed, with compact, unresolved emission at 1.4 GHz. The 80 per cent of such systems are identifiable as AGN using optical emission line diagnostics.

  12. Fermi/LAT Observations of Swift/BAT Seyfert Galaxies: On the Contribution of Radio-Quiet Active Galactic Nuclei to the Extragalactic gamma-Ray Background

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teng, Stacy H.; Mushotzky, Richard F.; Sambruna, Rita M.; Davis, David S.; Reynolds, Christopher S.

    2011-01-01

    We present the analysis of 2.1 years of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data on 491 Seyfert galaxies detected by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) survey. Only the two nearest objects, NGC 1068 and NGC 4945, which were identified in the Fermi first year catalog, are detected. Using Swift/BAT and radio 20 cm fluxes, we define a new radio-loudness parameter R(sub X,BAT) where radio-loud objects have logR(sub X,BAT) > -4.7. Based on this parameter, only radio-loud sources are detected by Fermi/LAT. An upper limit to the flux of the undetected sources is derived to be approx.2x10(exp -11) photons/sq cm/s, approximately seven times lower than the observed flux of NGC 1068. Assuming a median redshift of 0.031, this implies an upper limit to the gamma-ray (1-100 GeV) luminosity of BAT Seyfert galaxies with significant Fermi/LAT detections. A majority of these objects do not have Swift/BAT counterparts, but their possible optical counterparts include blazars, flat-spectrum radio quasars, and quasars.

  13. Making Sense of Black Holes: Modeling the Galactic Center and Other Low-power AGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falcke, Heino; Moscibrodzka, Monika

    2018-06-01

    The Galactic center host a well-known flat-spectrum radio source, Sgr A*, that is akin to the radio nuclei of quasars and radio galaxies. It is the main target of the Event Horizon Telescope to image the shadow of the black hole. There is, however, still considerable discussion on where the near-horizon emission originates from. Does it come from an accretion flow or is it produced in a relativistic jet-like outflow? Using advanced three-dimensional general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations coupled to general relativistic ray tracing simulations, we now model the dynamics and emission of the plasma around starving black holes in great detail out to several thousand Schwarzschild radii. Jets appear almost naturally in theses simulations. A crucial parameter is the heating of radiating electrons and we argue that electron-proton coupling is low in the accretion flow and high in the magnetized region of the jets, making the jet an important ingredient for the overall appearance of the source. This comprehensive model is able to predict the radio size and appearance, the spectral energy distribution from radio to X-rays, the variability, and the time lags of Sgr A* surprisingly well. Interestingly, the same model can be easily generalized to other low-power AGN like M87, suggesting that GRMHD models for AGN are finally becoming predictive. With upcoming submm-VLBI experiment on the ground and in space, we will be able to further test these models in great detail and see black holes in action.

  14. Directional dependence of binaural loudness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ellermeier, Wolfgang; Sivonen, Ville Pekka

    2006-01-01

    on binaural loudness summation, on the other hand, focuses on a highly artificial paradigm according to which unnatural combinations of sound pressure levels(such as monotic-diotic comparisons) are presented to listeners via headphones. In order to reconcile these two approaches, we recently started a series...... incidence angle, in order to relate the changes in actual at-ear exposure to the observed changes in loudness as a function of sound incidence. Combining the listening-test data with the physical measurements, an attempt was made to model the binaural summation underlying the directional loudness matches....

  15. The effect of loudness on the reverberance of music: reverberance prediction using loudness models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Doheon; Cabrera, Densil; Martens, William L

    2012-02-01

    This study examines the auditory attribute that describes the perceived amount of reverberation, known as "reverberance." Listening experiments were performed using two signals commonly heard in auditoria: excerpts of orchestral music and western classical singing. Listeners adjusted the decay rate of room impulse responses prior to convolution with these signals, so as to match the reverberance of each stimulus to that of a reference stimulus. The analysis examines the hypothesis that reverberance is related to the loudness decay rate of the underlying room impulse response. This hypothesis is tested using computational models of time varying or dynamic loudness, from which parameters analogous to conventional reverberation parameters (early decay time and reverberation time) are derived. The results show that listening level significantly affects reverberance, and that the loudness-based parameters outperform related conventional parameters. Results support the proposed relationship between reverberance and the computationally predicted loudness decay function of sound in rooms. © 2012 Acoustical Society of America

  16. Reliability of procedures used for scaling loudness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jesteadt, Walt; Joshi, Suyash Narendra

    2013-01-01

    In this study, 16 normally-hearing listeners judged the loudness of 1000-Hz sinusoids using magnitude estimation (ME), magnitude production (MP), and categorical loudness scaling (CLS). Listeners in each of four groups completed the loudness scaling tasks in a different sequence on the first visit...... (ME, MP, CLS; MP, ME, CLS; CLS, ME, MP; CLS, MP, ME), and the order was reversed on the second visit. This design made it possible to compare the reliability of estimates of the slope of the loudness function across procedures in the same listeners. The ME data were well fitted by an inflected...... results were the most reproducible, they do not provide direct information about the slope of the loudness function because the numbers assigned to CLS categories are arbitrary. This problem can be corrected by using data from the other procedures to assign numbers that are proportional to loudness...

  17. CONSTRAINING RADIO EMISSION FROM MAGNETARS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lazarus, P.; Kaspi, V. M.; Dib, R. [Department of Physics, Rutherford Physics Building, McGill University, 3600 University Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8 (Canada); Champion, D. J. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie, Auf dem Huegel 69, 53121 Bonn (Germany); Hessels, J. W. T., E-mail: plazar@physics.mcgill.ca [Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), Postbus 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo (Netherlands)

    2012-01-10

    We report on radio observations of five magnetars and two magnetar candidates carried out at 1950 MHz with the Green Bank Telescope in 2006-2007. The data from these observations were searched for periodic emission and bright single pulses. Also, monitoring observations of magnetar 4U 0142+61 following its 2006 X-ray bursts were obtained. No radio emission was detected for any of our targets. The non-detections allow us to place luminosity upper limits of L{sub 1950} {approx}< 1.60 mJy kpc{sup 2} for periodic emission and L{sub 1950,single} {approx}< 7.6 Jy kpc{sup 2} for single pulse emission. These are the most stringent limits yet for the magnetars observed. The resulting luminosity upper limits together with previous results are discussed, as is the importance of further radio observations of radio-loud and radio-quiet magnetars.

  18. The Evolution of the Stellar Hosts of Radio Galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lacy, Mark; Bunker, Andrew J.; Ridgway, Susan E.

    2000-01-01

    We present new near-infrared images of z>0.8 radio galaxies from the flux-limited 7C-iii sample of radio sources for which we have recently obtained almost complete spectroscopic redshifts. The 7C objects have radio luminosities ≅20 times fainter than 3C radio galaxies at a given redshift. The absolute magnitudes of the underlying host galaxies and their scale sizes are only weakly dependent on radio luminosity. Radio galaxy hosts at z∼2 are significantly brighter than the hosts of radio-quiet quasars at similar redshifts and the recent model AGN hosts of Kauffmann and Haehnelt. There is no evidence for strong evolution in scale size, which shows a large scatter at all redshifts. The hosts brighten significantly with redshift, consistent with the passive evolution of a stellar population that formed at z(greater-or-similar sign)3. This scenario is consistent with studies of host galaxy morphology and submillimeter continuum emission, both of which show strong evolution at z(greater-or-similar sign)2.5. The lack of a strong ''redshift cutoff'' in the radio luminosity function to z>4 suggests that the formation epoch of the radio galaxy host population lasts (greater-or-similar sign)1 Gyr, from z(greater-or-similar sign)5 to z∼3. We suggest these facts are best explained by models in which the most massive galaxies and their associated AGN form early because of high baryon densities in the centers of their dark matter haloes. (c) 2000 The American Astronomical Society

  19. Evolutionary behaviour of AGN: Investigations on BL Lac objects and Seyfert II galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beckmann, V.

    2000-12-01

    The evolution and nature of AGN is still one of the enigmatic questions in astrophysics. While large and complete Quasar samples are available, special classes of AGN, like BL Lac objects and Seyfert II galaxies, are still rare objects. In this work I present two new AGN samples. The first one is the HRX-BL Lac survey, resulting in a sample of X-ray selected BL Lac objects. This sample results from 223 BL Lac candidates based on a correlation of X-ray sources with radio sources. The identification of this sample is 98% complete. 77 objects have been identified as BL Lac objects and form the HRX-BL Lac complete sample, the largest homogeneous sample of BL Lac objects existing today. For this sample, redshifts are now known for 62 objects (81 %). In total I present 101 BL Lac objects in the enlarged HRX-BL Lac survey, for which redshift information is available for 84 objects. During the HRX-BL Lac survey I found several objects of special interest. 1ES 1517+656 turned out to be the brightest known BL Lac object in the universe. 1ES 0927+500 could be the first BL Lac object with a line detected in the X-ray region. RX J1211+2242 is probably the the counterpart of the up to now unidentified gamma-ray source 3EG J1212+2304. Additionally I present seven candidates for ultra high frequency peaked BL Lac objects. RX J1054+3855 and RX J1153+3517 are rare high redshift X-ray bright QSO or accreting binary systems with huge magnetic fields. For the BL Lac objects I suggest an unified scenario in which giant elliptical galaxies, formed by merging events of spiral galaxies at z > 2, start as powerful, radio dominated BL Lacs. As the jet gets less powerful, the BL Lacs start to get more X-ray dominated, showing less total luminosities (for z definition to objects with a calcium break up to 40%, but do not support for the HBL the idea of allowing emission lines in the spectra of BL Lac galaxies. A way to find high redshift BL Lac objects might be the identification of faint X

  20. CAIXA: a catalogue of AGN in the XMM-Newton archive. III. Excess variance analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ponti, G.; Papadakis, I.; Bianchi, S.; Guainazzi, M.; Matt, G.; Uttley, P.; Bonilla, N.F.

    2012-01-01

    Context. We report on the results of the first XMM-Newton systematic "excess variance" study of all the radio quiet, X-ray un-obscured AGN. The entire sample consist of 161 sources observed by XMM-Newton for more than 10 ks in pointed observations, which is the largest sample used so far to study

  1. Evidence for Infrared-faint Radio Sources as z > 1 Radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huynh, Minh T.; Norris, Ray P.; Siana, Brian; Middelberg, Enno

    2010-02-01

    Infrared-Faint Radio Sources (IFRSs) are a class of radio objects found in the Australia Telescope Large Area Survey which have no observable mid-infrared counterpart in the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic (SWIRE) survey. The extended Chandra Deep Field South now has even deeper Spitzer imaging (3.6-70 μm) from a number of Legacy surveys. We report the detections of two IFRS sources in IRAC images. The non-detection of two other IFRSs allows us to constrain the source type. Detailed modeling of the spectral energy distribution of these objects shows that they are consistent with high-redshift (z >~ 1) active galactic nuclei.

  2. Beyond Hydrodynamic Modeling of AGN Heating in Galaxy Clusters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Hsiang-Yi Karen

    proposed work will elucidate the poorly understood CR and anisotropic transport processes in the weakly collisional ICM and shed light on the long-standing mystery of AGN heating in CC clusters. Our investigation, which incorporates plasma effects into fluid models and provides physical foundation for cosmological simulations, will serve as an important bridge between physics on both micro and macro scales. This study will enable robust modeling of the radio-mode feedback of AGN in cosmological simulations of cluster and galaxy formation. It will also directly impact observational studies of clusters including NASA missions such as Chandra, XMM-Newton, Astro-H/Hitomi, Fermi, HST, and Planck.

  3. Perceptual weights for loudness reflect central spectral processing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Joshi, Suyash Narendra; Jesteadt, Walt

    2011-01-01

    Weighting patterns for loudness obtained using the reverse correlation method are thought to reveal the relative contributions of different frequency regions to total loudness, the equivalent of specific loudness. Current models of loudness assume that specific loudness is determined by peripheral...... processes such as compression and masking. Here we test this hypothesis using 20-tone harmonic complexes (200Hz f0, 200 to 4000Hz, 250 ms, 65 dB/Component) added in opposite phase relationships (Schroeder positive and negative). Due to the varying degree of envelope modulations, these time-reversed harmonic...... processes and reflect a central frequency weighting template....

  4. Mental imagery for musical changes in loudness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Freya eBailes

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Musicians imagine music during mental rehearsal, when reading from a score, and while composing. An important characteristic of music is its temporality. Among the parameters that vary through time is sound intensity, perceived as patterns of loudness. Studies of mental imagery for melodies (i.e. pitch and rhythm show interference from concurrent musical pitch and verbal tasks, but how we represent musical changes in loudness is unclear. Theories suggest that our perceptions of loudness change relate to our perceptions of force or effort, implying a motor representation. An experiment was conducted to investigate the modalities that contribute to imagery for loudness change. Musicians performed a within-subjects loudness change recall task, comprising 48 trials. First, participants heard a musical scale played with varying patterns of loudness, which they were asked to remember. There followed an empty interval of 8 seconds (nil distractor control, or the presentation of a series of 4 sine tones, or 4 visual letters or 3 conductor gestures, also to be remembered. Participants then saw an unfolding score of the notes of the scale, during which they were to imagine the corresponding scale in their mind while adjusting a slider to indicate the imagined changes in loudness. Finally, participants performed a recognition task of the tone, letter or gesture sequence. Based on the motor hypothesis, we predicted that observing and remembering conductor gestures would impair loudness change scale recall, while observing and remembering tone or letter string stimuli would not. Results support this prediction, with loudness change recalled less accurately in the gestures condition than in the control condition. An effect of musical training suggests that auditory and motor imagery ability may be closely related to domain expertise.

  5. EPISODIC STAR FORMATION COUPLED TO REIGNITION OF RADIO ACTIVITY IN 3C 236

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tremblay, Grant R.; O'Dea, Christopher P.; Baum, Stefi A.; Koekemoer, Anton M.; Sparks, William B.; De Bruyn, Ger; Schoenmakers, Arno P.

    2010-01-01

    We present Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys and STIS FUV/NUV/optical imaging of the radio galaxy 3C 236, whose relic ∼4 Mpc radio jet lobes and inner 2 kpc compact steep spectrum (CSS) radio source are evidence of multiple epochs of active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity. Consistent with previous results, our data confirm the presence of four bright knots of FUV emission in an arc along the edge of the inner circumnuclear dust disk in the galaxy's nucleus, as well as FUV emission cospatial with the nucleus itself. We interpret these to be sites of recent or ongoing star formation. We present photometry of these knots, as well as an estimate for the internal extinction in the source using line ratios from archival ground-based spectroscopy. We estimate the ages of the knots by comparing our extinction-corrected photometry with stellar population synthesis models. We find the four knots cospatial with the dusty disk to be young, of order ∼10 7 yr old. The FUV emission in the nucleus, to which we do not expect scattered light from the AGN to contribute significantly, is likely due to an episode of star formation triggered ∼10 9 yr ago. We argue that the young ∼10 7 yr old knots stem from an episode of star formation that was roughly coeval with the event resulting in reignition of radio activity, creating the CSS source. The ∼10 9 yr old stars in the nucleus may be associated with the previous epoch of radio activity that generated the 4 Mpc relic source, before being cut off by exhaustion or interruption. The ages of the knots, considered in the context of both the disturbed morphology of the nuclear dust and the double-double morphology of the 'old' and 'young' radio sources, present evidence for an AGN/starburst connection that is possibly episodic in nature. We suggest that the AGN fuel supply was interrupted for ∼10 7 yr due to a minor merger event and has now been restored. The resultant nonsteady flow of gas in the disk is likely

  6. Hearing aid processing of loud speech and noise signals: Consequences for loudness perception and listening comfort

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schmidt, Erik

    2007-01-01

    sounds, has found that both normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners prefer loud sounds to be closer to the most comfortable loudness-level, than suggested by common non-linear fitting rules. During this project, two listening experiments were carried out. In the first experiment, hearing aid users......Hearing aid processing of loud speech and noise signals: Consequences for loudness perception and listening comfort. Sound processing in hearing aids is determined by the fitting rule. The fitting rule describes how the hearing aid should amplify speech and sounds in the surroundings......, such that they become audible again for the hearing impaired person. The general goal is to place all sounds within the hearing aid users’ audible range, such that speech intelligibility and listening comfort become as good as possible. Amplification strategies in hearing aids are in many cases based on empirical...

  7. Automatic loudness control in short-form content for broadcasting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pires, Leandro da S; Vieira, Maurílio N; Yehia, Hani C

    2017-03-01

    During the early years of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) loudness calculation standard for sound broadcasting [ITU-R (2006), Rec. BS Series, 1770], the need for additional loudness descriptors to evaluate short-form content, such as commercials and live inserts, was identified. This work proposes a loudness control scheme to prevent loudness jumps, which can bother audiences. It employs short-form content audio detection and dynamic range processing methods for the maximum loudness level criteria. Detection is achieved by combining principal component analysis for dimensionality reduction and support vector machines for binary classification. Subsequent processing is based on short-term loudness integrators and Hilbert transformers. The performance was assessed using quality classification metrics and demonstrated through a loudness control example.

  8. SPT0346-52: NEGLIGIBLE AGN ACTIVITY IN A COMPACT, HYPER-STARBURST GALAXY AT z = 5.7

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Jingzhe; Gonzalez, Anthony H. [Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Vieira, J. D.; Sreevani, J. [Department of Astronomy and Department of Physics, University of Illinois, 1002 West Green St., Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Aravena, M. [Núcleo de Astronomía, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Diego Portales, Av. Ejército 441, Santiago (Chile); Ashby, M. L. N. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Béthermin, M.; Breuck, C. de; Gullberg, B. [European Southern Observatory, Karl Schwarzschild Straße 2, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Bothwell, M. S. [Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thompson Ave, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Brandt, W. N. [Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Carlstrom, J. E. [Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Chapman, S. C. [Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada); Hezaveh, Y. [Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Litke, K.; Marrone, D. P.; Spilker, J. S. [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Malkan, M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547 (United States); McDonald, M. [Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 37-582C, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Murphy, E. J., E-mail: jingzhema@ufl.edu [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States); and others

    2016-12-01

    We present Chandra ACIS-S and Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) radio continuum observations of the strongly lensed dusty, star-forming galaxy SPT-S J034640-5204.9 (hereafter SPT0346-52) at z = 5.656. This galaxy has also been observed with ALMA, HST , Spitzer , Herschel , Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment, and the Very Large Telescope. Previous observations indicate that if the infrared (IR) emission is driven by star formation, then the inferred lensing-corrected star formation rate (SFR) (∼4500 M {sub ☉} yr{sup −1}) and SFR surface density Σ{sub SFR} (∼2000 M {sub ☉} yr{sup −1} kpc{sup −2}) are both exceptionally high. It remained unclear from the previous data, however, whether a central active galactic nucleus (AGN) contributes appreciably to the IR luminosity. The Chandra upper limit shows that SPT0346-52 is consistent with being star formation dominated in the X-ray, and any AGN contribution to the IR emission is negligible. The ATCA radio continuum upper limits are also consistent with the FIR-to-radio correlation for star-forming galaxies with no indication of an additional AGN contribution. The observed prodigious intrinsic IR luminosity of (3.6 ± 0.3) × 10{sup 13} L {sub ☉} originates almost solely from vigorous star formation activity. With an intrinsic source size of 0.61 ± 0.03 kpc, SPT0346-52 is confirmed to have one of the highest Σ{sub SFR} of any known galaxy. This high Σ{sub SFR}, which approaches the Eddington limit for a radiation pressure supported starburst, may be explained by a combination of very high star formation efficiency and gas fraction.

  9. SPT0346-52: NEGLIGIBLE AGN ACTIVITY IN A COMPACT, HYPER-STARBURST GALAXY AT z = 5.7

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, Jingzhe; Gonzalez, Anthony H.; Vieira, J. D.; Sreevani, J.; Aravena, M.; Ashby, M. L. N.; Béthermin, M.; Breuck, C. de; Gullberg, B.; Bothwell, M. S.; Brandt, W. N.; Carlstrom, J. E.; Chapman, S. C.; Hezaveh, Y.; Litke, K.; Marrone, D. P.; Spilker, J. S.; Malkan, M.; McDonald, M.; Murphy, E. J.

    2016-01-01

    We present Chandra ACIS-S and Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) radio continuum observations of the strongly lensed dusty, star-forming galaxy SPT-S J034640-5204.9 (hereafter SPT0346-52) at z = 5.656. This galaxy has also been observed with ALMA, HST , Spitzer , Herschel , Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment, and the Very Large Telescope. Previous observations indicate that if the infrared (IR) emission is driven by star formation, then the inferred lensing-corrected star formation rate (SFR) (∼4500 M ☉ yr −1 ) and SFR surface density Σ SFR (∼2000 M ☉ yr −1 kpc −2 ) are both exceptionally high. It remained unclear from the previous data, however, whether a central active galactic nucleus (AGN) contributes appreciably to the IR luminosity. The Chandra upper limit shows that SPT0346-52 is consistent with being star formation dominated in the X-ray, and any AGN contribution to the IR emission is negligible. The ATCA radio continuum upper limits are also consistent with the FIR-to-radio correlation for star-forming galaxies with no indication of an additional AGN contribution. The observed prodigious intrinsic IR luminosity of (3.6 ± 0.3) × 10 13 L ☉ originates almost solely from vigorous star formation activity. With an intrinsic source size of 0.61 ± 0.03 kpc, SPT0346-52 is confirmed to have one of the highest Σ SFR of any known galaxy. This high Σ SFR , which approaches the Eddington limit for a radiation pressure supported starburst, may be explained by a combination of very high star formation efficiency and gas fraction.

  10. High levels of absorption in orientation-unbiased, radio-selected 3CR Active Galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkes, Belinda J.; Haas, Martin; Barthel, Peter; Leipski, Christian; Kuraszkiewicz, Joanna; Worrall, Diana; Birkinshaw, Mark; Willner, Steven P.

    2014-08-01

    A critical problem in understanding active galaxies (AGN) is the separation of intrinsic physical differences from observed differences that are due to orientation. Obscuration of the active nucleus is anisotropic and strongly frequency dependent leading to complex selection effects for observations in most wavebands. These can only be quantified using a sample that is sufficiently unbiased to test orientation effects. Low-frequency radio emission is one way to select a close-to orientation-unbiased sample, albeit limited to the minority of AGN with strong radio emission.Recent Chandra, Spitzer and Herschel observations combined with multi-wavelength data for a complete sample of high-redshift (1half the sample is significantly obscured with ratios of unobscured: Compton thin (22 24.2) = 2.5:1.4:1 in these high-luminosity (log L(0.3-8keV) ~ 44-46) sources. These ratios are consistent with current expectations based on modelingthe Cosmic X-ray Background. A strong correlation with radio orientation constrains the geometry of the obscuring disk/torus to have a ~60 degree opening angle and ~12 degree Compton-thick cross-section. The deduced ~50% obscured fraction of the population contrasts with typical estimates of ~20% obscured in optically- and X-ray-selected high-luminosity samples. Once the primary nuclear emission is obscured, AGN X-ray spectra are frequently dominated by unobscured non-nuclear or scattered nuclear emission which cannot be distinguished from direct nuclear emission with a lower obscuration level unless high quality data is available. As a result, both the level of obscuration and the estimated instrinsic luminosities of highly-obscured AGN are likely to be significantly (*10-1000) underestimated for 25-50% of the population. This may explain the lower obscured fractions reported for optical and X-ray samples which have no independent measure of the AGN luminosity. Correcting AGN samples for these underestimated luminosities would result in

  11. Loudness estimation of simultaneous sources using beamforming

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Song, Woo-keun; Ellermeier, Wolfgang; Minnaar, Pauli

    2006-01-01

    An algorithm is proposed for estimating the loudness of several simultaneous sound sources by means of microphone-array beamforming. The algorithm is derived from two listening experiments in which the loudness of two simultaneous sounds (narrow-band noises with 1-kHz and 3.15-kHz center...... frequencies) was matched to a single sound (2-kHz narrow-band noise). The simultaneous sounds were presented from either one sound source or two spatially separated sources, whereas the single sound was presented from the frontal direction. The results indicate that overall loudness can be calculated...... by summing the loudnesses of the individual sources according to a simple psychophysical relationship....

  12. AGN Clustering in the BAT Sample

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, Meredith; Cappelluti, Nico; Urry, Meg; Koss, Michael; BASS Team

    2018-01-01

    We characterize the environments of local growing supermassive black holes by measuring the clustering of AGN in the Swift-BAT Spectroscopic Survey (BASS). With 548 AGN in the redshift range 0.012MASS galaxies, we constrain the halo occupation distribution (HOD) of the full sample with unprecedented sensitivity, as well as in bins of obscuration with matched luminosity distributions. In doing so, we find that AGN tend to reside in galaxy groups, agreeing with previous studies of AGN throughout a large range of luminosity and redshift. We also find evidence that obscured AGN tend to reside in denser environments than unobscured AGN.

  13. The cluster environments of powerful, high-redshift radio galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yates, M.G.

    1989-01-01

    We present deep imaging of a sample of 25 powerful radio galaxies in the redshift range 0.15 gr ) about each source, a measure of the richness of environment. The powerful radio galaxies in this sample at z>0.3 occupy environments nearly as rich on average as Abell class 0 clusters of galaxies, about three times richer than the environments of the z<0.3 radio galaxies. This trend in cluster environment is consistent with that seen in radio-loud quasars over the same redshift range. Our previous work on the 3CR sample suggested that the fundamental parameter which correlates with the richness of environment might be the radio luminosity of the galaxy, rather than its redshift. Our direct imaging confirms that the most powerful radio galaxies do inhabit rich environments. (author)

  14. Constraints on Particles and Fields from Full Stokes Observations of AGN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel C. Homan

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Combined polarization imaging of radio jets from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN in circular and linear polarization, also known as full Stokes imaging, has the potential to constrain both the magnetic field structure and particle properties of jets. Although only a small fraction of the emission when detected, typically less than a few tenths of a percent but up to as much as a couple of percent in the strongest resolved sources, circular polarization directly probes the magnetic field and particles within the jet itself and is not expected to be modified by external screens. A key to using full Stokes observations to constrain jet properties is obtaining a better understanding of the emission of circular polarization, including its variability and spectrum. We discuss what we have learned so far from parsec scale monitoring observations in the MOJAVE program and from multi-frequency observations of selected AGN.

  15. AGN UNIFICATION AT z ∼ 1: u - R COLORS AND GRADIENTS IN X-RAY AGN HOSTS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mark Ammons, S.; Rosario, David J. V.; Koo, David C.

    2011-01-01

    We present uncontaminated rest-frame u - R colors of 78 X-ray-selected active galactic nucleus (AGN) hosts at 0.5 1.1 kpc. These three observations imply that AGN obscuration is uncorrelated with the star formation rate beyond ∼1 kpc. These observations favor a unification scenario for intermediate-luminosity AGNs in which obscuration is determined geometrically. Scenarios in which the majority of intermediate-luminosity AGNs at z ∼ 1 are undergoing rapid, galaxy-wide quenching due to AGN-driven feedback processes are disfavored.

  16. Musical expertise and the ability to imagine loudness.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Bishop

    Full Text Available Most perceived parameters of sound (e.g. pitch, duration, timbre can also be imagined in the absence of sound. These parameters are imagined more veridically by expert musicians than non-experts. Evidence for whether loudness is imagined, however, is conflicting. In music, the question of whether loudness is imagined is particularly relevant due to its role as a principal parameter of performance expression. This study addressed the hypothesis that the veridicality of imagined loudness improves with increasing musical expertise. Experts, novices and non-musicians imagined short passages of well-known classical music under two counterbalanced conditions: 1 while adjusting a slider to indicate imagined loudness of the music and 2 while tapping out the rhythm to indicate imagined timing. Subtests assessed music listening abilities and working memory span to determine whether these factors, also hypothesised to improve with increasing musical expertise, could account for imagery task performance. Similarity between each participant's imagined and listening loudness profiles and reference recording intensity profiles was assessed using time series analysis and dynamic time warping. The results suggest a widespread ability to imagine the loudness of familiar music. The veridicality of imagined loudness tended to be greatest for the expert musicians, supporting the predicted relationship between musical expertise and musical imagery ability.

  17. Musical expertise and the ability to imagine loudness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bishop, Laura; Bailes, Freya; Dean, Roger T

    2013-01-01

    Most perceived parameters of sound (e.g. pitch, duration, timbre) can also be imagined in the absence of sound. These parameters are imagined more veridically by expert musicians than non-experts. Evidence for whether loudness is imagined, however, is conflicting. In music, the question of whether loudness is imagined is particularly relevant due to its role as a principal parameter of performance expression. This study addressed the hypothesis that the veridicality of imagined loudness improves with increasing musical expertise. Experts, novices and non-musicians imagined short passages of well-known classical music under two counterbalanced conditions: 1) while adjusting a slider to indicate imagined loudness of the music and 2) while tapping out the rhythm to indicate imagined timing. Subtests assessed music listening abilities and working memory span to determine whether these factors, also hypothesised to improve with increasing musical expertise, could account for imagery task performance. Similarity between each participant's imagined and listening loudness profiles and reference recording intensity profiles was assessed using time series analysis and dynamic time warping. The results suggest a widespread ability to imagine the loudness of familiar music. The veridicality of imagined loudness tended to be greatest for the expert musicians, supporting the predicted relationship between musical expertise and musical imagery ability.

  18. FERMI/LAT OBSERVATIONS OF SWIFT/BAT SEYFERT GALAXIES: ON THE CONTRIBUTION OF RADIO-QUIET ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI TO THE EXTRAGALACTIC γ-RAY BACKGROUND

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teng, Stacy H.; Mushotzky, Richard F.; Reynolds, Christopher S.; Sambruna, Rita M.; Davis, David S.

    2011-01-01

    We present the analysis of 2.1 years of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data on 491 Seyfert galaxies detected by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) survey. Only the two nearest objects, NGC 1068 and NGC 4945, which were identified in the Fermi first year catalog, are detected. Using Swift/BAT and radio 20 cm fluxes, we define a new radio-loudness parameter R X,BAT where radio-loud objects have log R X,BAT > –4.7. Based on this parameter, only radio-loud sources are detected by Fermi/LAT. An upper limit to the flux of the undetected sources is derived to be ∼2 × 10 –11 photons cm –2 s –1 , approximately seven times lower than the observed flux of NGC 1068. Assuming a median redshift of 0.031, this implies an upper limit to the γ-ray (1-100 GeV) luminosity of ∼ 41 erg s –1 . In addition, we identified 120 new Fermi/LAT sources near the Swift/BAT Seyfert galaxies with significant Fermi/LAT detections. A majority of these objects do not have Swift/BAT counterparts, but their possible optical counterparts include blazars, flat-spectrum radio quasars, and quasars.

  19. Radio Selection of the Most Distant Galaxy Clusters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daddi, E.; Jin, S.; Strazzullo, V.; Sargent, M. T.; Wang, T.; Ferrari, C.; Schinnerer, E.; Smolčić, V.; Calabró, A.; Coogan, R.; Delhaize, J.; Delvecchio, I.; Elbaz, D.; Gobat, R.; Gu, Q.; Liu, D.; Novak, M.; Valentino, F.

    2017-09-01

    We show that the most distant X-ray-detected cluster known to date, Cl J1001 at {z}{spec}=2.506, hosts a strong overdensity of radio sources. Six of them are individually detected (within 10\\prime\\prime ) in deep 0\\buildrel{\\prime\\prime}\\over{.} 75 resolution VLA 3 GHz imaging, with {S}3{GHz}> 8 μ {Jy}. Of the six, an active galactic nucleus (AGN) likely affects the radio emission in two galaxies, while star formation is the dominant source powering the remaining four. We searched for cluster candidates over the full COSMOS 2 deg2 field using radio-detected 3 GHz sources and looking for peaks in {{{Σ }}}5 density maps. Cl J1001 is the strongest overdensity by far with > 10σ , with a simple {z}{phot}> 1.5 preselection. A cruder photometric rejection of zsamples of the first generation of forming galaxy clusters. In these remarkable structures, widespread star formation and AGN activity of massive galaxy cluster members, residing within the inner cluster core, will ultimately lead to radio continuum as one of the most effective means for their identification, with detection rates expected in the ballpark of 0.1-1 per square degree at z≳ 2.5. Samples of hundreds such high-redshift clusters could potentially constrain cosmological parameters and test cluster and galaxy formation models.

  20. The nature of extragalactic radio-jets from high-resolution radio-interferometric observations

    OpenAIRE

    Perucho, Manel

    2014-01-01

    Extragalactic jets are a common feature of radio-loud active galaxies. The nature of the observed jets in relation to the bulk flow is still unclear. In particular it is not clear whether the observations of parsec-scale jets using the very long baseline interferometric technique (VLBI) reveal wave-like structures that develop and propagate along the jet, or trace the jet flow itself. In this contribution I review the evidence collected during the last years showing that the ridge-lines of he...

  1. Revisiting the Gamma-Ray Source 2FGL J1823.8+4312

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stern, Daniel; Assef, Roberto J.

    2013-02-01

    One of the great challenges of gamma-ray astronomy is identifying the lower energy counterparts to these high-energy sources. Recently, in this journal, Massaro et al. attempted to find the counterpart of 2FGL J1823.8+4312, a gamma-ray active galactic nucleus (AGN) of uncertain type from the Second Fermi Large Area Telescope catalog. After considering mid-infrared data in the field from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), those authors conclude that the preferred identification of 2FGL J1823.8+4312 is WISE J182352.33+431452.5, despite the fact that the mid-infrared source is undetected at radio energies. They claim that WISE J182352.33+431452.5 constitutes the discovery of a new class of extragalactic X-ray source, either a radio-faint blazar or the prototype of a new class of active galaxy with an enigmatic spectral energy distribution. This conclusion is claimed to be independent of whether or not the WISE source is the actual counterpart to 2FGL J1823.8+4312. Based on a re-analysis of public data in this field and new spectroscopy from Palomar, we conclude that WISE J182352.33+431452.5 is a dust-reddened quasar at z = 0.560, a representative example of a very common extragalactic AGN class. Were WISE J182352.33+431452.5 to be associated with the gamma-ray emission, this would be an unusual and exciting discovery. However, we argue that 2FGL J1823.8+4312 is more likely associated with either WISE J182409.25+431404.7 or, more likely, WISE J182419.04+430949.6, two radio-loud sources in the field. The former is a radio-loud quasar and the latter is an optically variable source with a featureless blue spectrum.

  2. The Close AGN Reference Survey (CARS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Husemann, B.; Tremblay, G.; Davis, T.; Busch, G.; McElroy, R.; Neumann, J.; Urrutia, T.; Krumpe, M.; Scharwächter, J.; Powell, M.; Perez-Torres, M.; The CARS Team

    2017-09-01

    The role of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the evolution of galaxies remains a mystery. The energy released by these accreting supermassive black holes can vastly exceed the entire binding energy of their host galaxies, yet it remains unclear how this energy is dissipated throughout the galaxy, and how that might couple to the galaxy's evolution. The Close AGN Reference Survey (CARS) is a multi-wavelength survey of a representative sample of luminous Type I AGN at redshifts 0.01 connection. These AGN are more luminous than very nearby AGN but are still close enough for spatially resolved mapping at sub-kpc scales with various state- of-the art facilities and instruments, such as VLT-MUSE, ALMA, JVLA, Chandra, SOFIA, and many more. In this article we showcase the power of CARS with examples of a multi-phase AGN outflow, diverse views on star formation activity and a unique changing-look AGN. CARS will provide an essential low-redshift reference sample for ongoing and forthcoming AGN surveys at high redshift.

  3. The mystery of the "Kite" radio source in Abell 2626: Insights from new Chandra observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ignesti, A.; Gitti, M.; Brunetti, G.; O'Sullivan, E.; Sarazin, C.; Wong, K.

    2018-03-01

    Context. We present the results of a new Chandra study of the galaxy cluster Abell 2626. The radio emission of the cluster shows a complex system of four symmetric arcs without known correlations with the thermal X-ray emission. The mirror symmetry of the radio arcs toward the center and the presence of two optical cores in the central galaxy suggested that they may be created by pairs of precessing radio jets powered by dual active galactic nuclei (AGNs) inside the core dominant galaxy. However, previous observations failed to observe the second jetted AGN and the spectral trend due to radiative age along the radio arcs, thus challenging this interpretation. Aim. The new Chandra observation had several scientific objectives, including the search for the second AGN that would support the jet precession model. We focus here on the detailed study of the local properties of the thermal and non-thermal emission in the proximity of the radio arcs, in order to obtain further insights into their origin. Methods: We performed a standard data reduction of the Chandra dataset deriving the radial profiles of temperature, density, pressure and cooling time of the intra-cluster medium. We further analyzed the two-dimensional (2D) distribution of the gas temperature, discovering that the south-western junction of the radio arcs surrounds the cool core of the cluster. Results: We studied the X-ray surface brightness and spectral profiles across the junction, finding a cold front spatially coincident with the radio arcs. This may suggest a connection between the sloshing of the thermal gas and the nature of the radio filaments, raising new scenarios for their origin. A tantalizing possibility is that the radio arcs trace the projection of a complex surface connecting the sites where electrons are most efficiently reaccelerated by the turbulence that is generated by the gas sloshing. In this case, diffuse emission embedded by the arcs and with extremely steep spectrum should be

  4. Photometric redshifts for the next generation of deep radio continuum surveys - II. Gaussian processes and hybrid estimates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duncan, Kenneth J.; Jarvis, Matt J.; Brown, Michael J. I.; Röttgering, Huub J. A.

    2018-04-01

    Building on the first paper in this series (Duncan et al. 2018), we present a study investigating the performance of Gaussian process photometric redshift (photo-z) estimates for galaxies and active galactic nuclei detected in deep radio continuum surveys. A Gaussian process redshift code is used to produce photo-z estimates targeting specific subsets of both the AGN population - infrared, X-ray and optically selected AGN - and the general galaxy population. The new estimates for the AGN population are found to perform significantly better at z > 1 than the template-based photo-z estimates presented in our previous study. Our new photo-z estimates are then combined with template estimates through hierarchical Bayesian combination to produce a hybrid consensus estimate that outperforms both of the individual methods across all source types. Photo-z estimates for radio sources that are X-ray sources or optical/IR AGN are significantly improved in comparison to previous template-only estimates - with outlier fractions and robust scatter reduced by up to a factor of ˜4. The ability of our method to combine the strengths of the two input photo-z techniques and the large improvements we observe illustrate its potential for enabling future exploitation of deep radio continuum surveys for both the study of galaxy and black hole co-evolution and for cosmological studies.

  5. Search for low-frequency diffuse radio emission around a shock in the massive galaxy cluster MACS J0744.9+3927

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilber, A.; Brüggen, M.; Bonafede, A.; Rafferty, D.; Savini, F.; Shimwell, T.; van Weeren, R. J.; Botteon, A.; Cassano, R.; Brunetti, G.; De Gasperin, F.; Wittor, D.; Hoeft, M.; Birzan, L.

    2018-05-01

    Merging galaxy clusters produce low-Mach-number shocks in the intracluster medium. These shocks can accelerate electrons to relativistic energies that are detectable at radio frequencies. MACS J0744.9+3927 is a massive [M500 = (11.8 ± 2.8) × 1014 M⊙], high-redshift (z = 0.6976) cluster where a Bullet-type merger is presumed to have taken place. Sunyaev-Zel'dovich maps from MUSTANG indicate that a shock, with Mach number M = 1.0-2.9 and an extension of ˜200 kpc, sits near the centre of the cluster. The shock is also detected as a brightness and temperature discontinuity in X-ray observations. To search for diffuse radio emission associated with the merger, we have imaged the cluster with the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) at 120-165 MHz. Our LOFAR radio images reveal previously undetected AGN emission, but do not show clear cluster-scale diffuse emission in the form of a radio relic nor a radio halo. The region of the shock is on the western edge of AGN lobe emission from the brightest cluster galaxy. Correlating the flux of known shock-induced radio relics versus their size, we find that the radio emission overlapping the shocked region in MACS J0744.9+3927 is likely of AGN origin. We argue against the presence of a relic caused by diffusive shock acceleration and suggest that the shock is too weak to accelerate electrons from the intracluster medium.

  6. The BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS) DR1-Spectral Measurements, Derived Quantities, and AGN Demographics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koss, Michael; BASS Team

    2018-01-01

    We present the first catalog and data release of the Swift-BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS). We analyze optical spectra of the majority of AGN (77%, 641/836) detected based on their 14-195 keV emission in the 70-month Swift BAT all-sky catalog. This includes redshift determination, absorption and emission line measurements, and black hole mass and accretion rate estimates for the majority of obscured and un-obscured AGN (74%, 473/641) with 340 measured for the first time. With ~90% of sources at z10^21.9 cm^-2. Seyfert 1.9 show a range of column densities. Compared to narrow line AGN in the SDSS, the X-ray selected AGN have a larger fraction of dusty host galaxies suggesting these types of AGN are missed in optical surveys. Using the most sensitive [OIII]/Hbeta and [NII]/Halpha emission line diagnostic, about half of the sources are classified as Seyferts, ~15% reside in dusty galaxies that lack an Hbeta detection, but for which the line upper limits imply either a Seyfert or LINER, ~15% are in galaxies with weak or no emission lines despite high quality spectra, and a few percent each are LINERS, composite galaxies, HII regions, or in known beamed AGN.

  7. A Measurement of the Millimeter Emission and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect Associated with Low-Frequency Radio Sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gralla, Megan B.; Crichton, Devin; Marriage, Tobias; Mo, Wenli; Aguirre, Paula; Addison, Graeme E.; Asboth, V.; Battaglia, Nick; Bock, James; Bond, J. Richard; hide

    2014-01-01

    We present a statistical analysis of the millimeter-wavelength properties of 1.4 GHz-selected sources and a detection of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect associated with the halos that host them. We stack data at 148, 218 and 277 GHz from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope at the positions of a large sample of radio AGN selected at 1.4 GHz. The thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect associated with the halos that host the AGN is detected at the 5 sigma level through its spectral signature, representing a statistical detection of the SZ effect in some of the lowest mass halos (average M(sub 200) approximately equals 10(sup 13) solar mass h(sub 70)(exp -1) ) studied to date. The relation between the SZ effect and mass (based on weak lensing measurements of radio galaxies) is consistent with that measured by Planck for local bright galaxies. In the context of galaxy evolution models, this study confirms that galaxies with radio AGN also typically support hot gaseous halos. Adding Herschel observations allows us to show that the SZ signal is not significantly contaminated by dust emission. Finally, we analyze the contribution of radio sources to the angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background.

  8. Heavily Obscured AGN with SIMBOL-X

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ceca, R. Della; Caccianiga, A.; Severgnini, P.

    2009-01-01

    By comparing an optically selected sample of narrow lines AGN with an X-ray selected sample of AGN we have recently derived an estimate of the intrinsic (i.e. before absorption) 2-10 keV luminosity function (XLF) of Compton Thick AGNs. We will use this XLF to derive the number of Compton Thick AGN that will be found in the SIMBOL-X survey(s).

  9. Heavily Obscured AGN with SIMBOL-X

    Science.gov (United States)

    Della Ceca, R.; Caccianiga, A.; Severgnini, P.

    2009-05-01

    By comparing an optically selected sample of narrow lines AGN with an X-ray selected sample of AGN we have recently derived an estimate of the intrinsic (i.e. before absorption) 2-10 keV luminosity function (XLF) of Compton Thick AGNs. We will use this XLF to derive the number of Compton Thick AGN that will be found in the SIMBOL-X survey(s).

  10. The BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koss, Michael

    2017-08-01

    We present the Swift BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS) and discus the first four papers. The catalog represents an unprecedented census of hard-X-ray selected AGN in the local universe, with ~90% of sources at zpast studies. Consistent with previous surveys, we find an increase in the fraction of un-obscured (type 1) AGN, as measured from broad Hbeta and Halpha, with increasing 14-195 keV and 2-10 keV luminosity. We find the FWHM of the emission lines to show broad agreement with the X-ray obscuration measurements. Compared to narrow line AGN in the SDSS, the X-ray selected AGN in our sample with emission lines have a larger fraction of dustier galaxies suggesting these types of galaxies are missed in optical AGN surveys using emission line diagnostics.

  11. Amplitude modulation reduces loudness adaptation to high-frequency tones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wynne, Dwight P; George, Sahara E; Zeng, Fan-Gang

    2015-07-01

    Long-term loudness perception of a sound has been presumed to depend on the spatial distribution of activated auditory nerve fibers as well as their temporal firing pattern. The relative contributions of those two factors were investigated by measuring loudness adaptation to sinusoidally amplitude-modulated 12-kHz tones. The tones had a total duration of 180 s and were either unmodulated or 100%-modulated at one of three frequencies (4, 20, or 100 Hz), and additionally varied in modulation depth from 0% to 100% at the 4-Hz frequency only. Every 30 s, normal-hearing subjects estimated the loudness of one of the stimuli played at 15 dB above threshold in random order. Without any amplitude modulation, the loudness of the unmodulated tone after 180 s was only 20% of the loudness at the onset of the stimulus. Amplitude modulation systematically reduced the amount of loudness adaptation, with the 100%-modulated stimuli, regardless of modulation frequency, maintaining on average 55%-80% of the loudness at onset after 180 s. Because the present low-frequency amplitude modulation produced minimal changes in long-term spectral cues affecting the spatial distribution of excitation produced by a 12-kHz pure tone, the present result indicates that neural synchronization is critical to maintaining loudness perception over time.

  12. The RadioAstron Dedicated DiFX Distribution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriele Bruni

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Distributed FX-architecture (DiFX is a software Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI correlator currently adopted by several main correlation sites around the globe. After the launch of the RadioAstron Space-VLBI mission in 2011, an extension was necessary to handle processing of an orbiting antenna, to be correlated with supporting ground arrays. Here, we present a branch of the main DiFX distribution (2.4, uploaded on the publicly available repository during July 2016, that the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR developed to process data of the three key active galactic nuclei (AGN-imaging RadioAstron science projects, as well as part of the AGN survey project, and General Observing Time (GOT projects proposed since Announcement of Opportunity 2 (AO-2, July 2014–July 2015. It can account for general relativistic correction of an orbiting antenna with variable position/velocity, providing a routine to convert the native RadioAstron Data Format (RDF format to the more common Mark5 B (M5B. The possibility of introducing a polynomial clock allows one to mitigate the effects of spacecraft acceleration terms in near-perigee observations. Additionally, since for the first time polarimetry on space-baselines is available thanks to RadioAstron, this DiFX branch allows one to include the spacecraft orientation information at the correlation stage, in order to perform proper polarization calibration during data reduction. Finally, a fringe-finding algorithm able to manage an arbitrarily large fringe-search window is included, allowing one to increase the search space normally adopted by common software packages like HOPS.

  13. NuSTAR J033202-2746.8: direct constraints on the Compton reflection in a heavily obscured quasar at z ≈ 2

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Del Moro, A.; Mullaney, J. R.; Alexander, D. M.

    2014-01-01

    We report Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observations of NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, a heavily obscured, radio-loud quasar detected in the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South, the deepest layer of the NuSTAR extragalactic survey (∼400 ks, at its deepest). NuSTAR J033202-2746.8 is reliably......-2746.8, indicating that this source is a heavily obscured quasar (NH = 5.6+−0.80.9 × 1023 cm−2) with luminosity L10-40 keV ≈ 6.4 × 1044 erg s−1. Although existing optical and near-infrared (near-IR) data, as well as follow-up spectroscopy with the Keck and VLT telescopes, failed to provide a secure redshift......-Newton data alone. The measured reflection fraction is higher than the R∼0 typically observed in bright radio-loud quasars such as NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, which has L1.4 GHz≈1027 W Hz−1. Constraining the spectral shape of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), including bright quasars, is very important...

  14. Radio Jets Clearing the Way Through a Galaxy: Watching Feedback in Action in the Seyfert Galaxy IC 5063

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Morganti, R.; Oosterloo, T. A.; Oonk, J. B. R.; Frieswijk, W.; Tadhunter, C. N.

    2015-01-01

    High-resolution (0.5 arcsec) CO(2-1) observations performed with the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array have been used to trace the kinematics of the molecular gas in the Seyfert 2 galaxy{IC 5063}. Although one of the most radio-loud Seyfert galaxy, IC 5063 is a relatively weak radio

  15. On the Superluminal Motion of Radio-Loud AGNs Zhi-Bin Zhang1,2 ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    xies—radiation mechanisms: non-thermal—quasars: general. 1. Introduction. Rees (1966) predicted that the transverse velocity of an object moving relativistically in some special directions may appear to exceed the speed of light. The apparent superluminal motion (SM) is essentially a geometric effect or a light travel-time.

  16. Acoustical topology optimization of Zwicker's loudness with Padé approximation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kook, Junghwan; Jensen, Jakob Søndergaard; Wang, Semyung

    2013-01-01

    Zwicker's loudness is a conventional standard index for measuring human hearing annoyance and has been widely considered in many industrial fields for noise evaluations. The calculation of Zwicker's loudness, which is needed for a wide range of frequency responses with a fine frequency resolution......, this approach imposes prohibitively high computational costs. In this research, we propose a computationally-efficient approach to resolve the computational issue in the computation and optimization of Zwicker's loudness. We present an efficient approach which combines the finite element method (FEM......) with the Padé approximation (PA) procedure for obtaining Zwicker's loudness and for applying it in a gradient-based acoustical topology optimization procedure applied to the design of acoustic devices to minimize Zwicker's loudness. In this respect, the calculation of Zwicker's loudness is represented by the PA...

  17. GLAST and AGN Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyes, Luis C.

    2006-04-01

    The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board GLAST (Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope) is an instrument under construction to study the gamma-ray sky in the energy range 20 MeV to >300 GeV with special interest in the previously unexplored region between a few GeV and a few hundred GeV. Among the high energy gamma-ray sources in the sky, the Blazar-class of AGNs are distinguished because of their brightness and very short term variability. GLAST's improved sensitivity with respect to previous missions will increase the number of known AGN gamma-ray sources from about 100 to thousands, with redshifts up to z>4. Science returns with GLAST include: examination of the blazar sequence model, test of leptonic and hadronic models for particle acceleration, physics of relativistic jets, and evolution of Blazar AGNs population with cosmic time. Special consideration will be given to the possibility of using the large size of the GLAST Blazar catalog to distinguish intrinsic spectra of AGNs from the redshift dependent effects of attenuation by the Extragalactic Background Light (EBL). A measured attenuation as a function of AGN redshift would constitute and effective and unique probe to the optical-UV EBL.

  18. The Overdense Environments of WISE-Selected, Ultra-Luminous, High-Redshift AGN in the Submillimeter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jones, Suzy F., E-mail: suzy.jones@chalmers.se [Department of Space, Earth, and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory, Onsala (Sweden)

    2017-11-21

    The environments around WISE-selected hot dust obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) and WISE/radio-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at average redshifts of z = 2.7 and z = 1.7, respectively, were found to have overdensities of companion Submillimeter-selected sources. The overdensities were of ~2–3 and ~5–6, respectively, compared with blank field submm surveys. The space densities in both samples were found to be overdense compared to normal star-forming galaxies and Submillimeter galaxies (SMGs). All of the companion sources have consistent mid-IR colors and mid-IR to submm ratios to SMGs. Monte Carlo simulations show no angular correlation, which could indicate protoclusters on scales larger than the SCUBA-2 1.5 arcmin scale maps. WISE-selected AGNs appear to be good indicators of overdense areas of active galaxies at high redshift.

  19. The jet of the Low Luminosity AGN of M81

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alberdi A.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available In this contribution, we summarize our main results of a big campaign of global VLBI observations of the AGN in M81 (M81* phase-referenced to the radio supernova SN 1993J. Thanks to the precise multi-epoch and multi-frequency astrometry, we have determined the normalized core-shift of the relativistic jet of M81* and estimated both the magnetic field and the particle density at the jet base. We have also found evidence of jet precession in M81* coming from the systematic time evolution of the jet orientation correlated with changes in the overall flux density.

  20. Perceived loudness of spatially distributed sound sources

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Song, Woo-keun; Ellermeier, Wolfgang; Minnaar, Pauli

    2005-01-01

    psychoacoustic attributes into account. Therefore, a method for deriving loudness maps was developed in an earlier study [Song, Internoise2004, paper 271]. The present experiment investigates to which extent perceived loudness depends on the distribution of individual sound sources. Three loudspeakers were...... positioned 1.5 m from the centre of the listener’s head, one straight ahead, and two 10 degrees to the right and left, respectively. Six participants matched the loudness of either one, or two simultaneous sounds (narrow-band noises with 1-kHz, and 3.15-kHz centre frequencies) to a 2-kHz, 60-dB SPL narrow......-band noise placed in the frontal loudspeaker. The two sounds were either originating from the central speaker, or from the two offset loudspeakers. It turned out that the subjects perceived the noises to be softer when they were distributed in space. In addition, loudness was calculated from the recordings...

  1. RECONCILING AGN-STAR FORMATION, THE SOLTAN ARGUMENT, AND MEIER’S PARADOX

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garofalo, David [Department of Physics, Kennesaw State University, Marietta GA, 30060 (United States); Kim, Matthew I.; Christian, Damian J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University, Northridge CA, 91330 (United States); Hollingworth, Emily [Department of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA, 30332 (United States); Lowery, Aaron [Department of Geosciences, Mississippi State University, MS, 39762 (United States); Harmon, Matthew [Department of Physics, Southern Polytechnic State University, Marietta GA, 30060 (United States)

    2016-02-01

    We provide a theoretical context for understanding the recent work of Kalfountzou et al. showing that star formation is enhanced at lower optical luminosity in radio-loud quasars. Our proposal for coupling the assumption of collimated FRII quasar-jet-induced star formation with lower accretion optical luminosity also explains the observed jet power peak in active galaxies at higher redshift compared to the peak in accretion power, doing so in a way that predicts the existence of a family of radio-quiet active galactic nuclei associated with rapidly spinning supermassive black holes at low redshift, as mounting observations suggest. The relevance of this work lies in its promise to explain the observed cosmological evolution of accretion power, jet power, and star formation in a way that is both compatible with the Soltan argument and resolves the so-called “Meier Paradox.”.

  2. Opacity in compact extragalactic radio sources and the core shift effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovalev, Y Y; Lobanov, A P; Pushkarev, A B; Zensus, J A

    2008-01-01

    The apparent position of the 'core' in a parsec-scale radio jet (a compact, bright emitting region at the narrow end of the jet) depends on the observing frequency, owing to synchrotron self-absorption and external absorption. This dependency both provides a tool to probe physical conditions in the vicinity of the core and poses problems for astrometric studies using compact radio sources. We investigate the frequency-dependent shift of the positions of the cores (core shift) observed with very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) in parsec-scale jets. We present results for 29 selected active galactic nuclei (AGN). In these AGN, the magnitude of the measured core shift between 2.3 and 8.6 GHz reaches 1.4 mas, with a median value for the sample of 0.44 mas. We discuss related physics as well as astrometry applications and plans for further studies.

  3. Individual and contextual variation in Thomas langur male loud calls

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wich, S.A.; Koski, S.; Vries, Han de; Schaik, Carel P. van

    2003-01-01

    Individual and contextual differences in male loud calls of wild Thomas langurs (Presbytis thomasi) were studied in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Loud calls were given in the following contexts: morning calls, vocal responses to other groups, between-group encounter calls and alarmcalls. Loud

  4. RADIO-SELECTED QUASARS IN THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McGreer, Ian D.; Helfand, David J.; White, Richard L.

    2009-01-01

    We have conducted a pilot survey for z > 3.5 quasars by combining the FIRST radio survey with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). While SDSS already targets FIRST sources for spectroscopy as quasar candidates, our survey includes fainter quasars and greatly improves the discovery rate by using strict astrometric criteria for matching the radio and optical positions. Our method allows for selection of high-redshift quasars with less color bias than with optical selection, as using radio selection essentially eliminates stellar contamination. We report the results of spectroscopy for 45 candidates, including 29 quasars in the range 0.37 3.5. We compare quasars selected using radio and optical criteria, and find that radio-selected quasars have a much higher fraction of moderately reddened objects. We derive a radio-loud quasar luminosity function at 3.5 < z < 4.0, and find that it is in good agreement with expectations from prior SDSS results.

  5. Observational Signatures Of Agn Feedback Across Cosmic Time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wylezalek, Dominika

    2017-06-01

    While many compelling models of AGN feedback exist, there is no clear data-driven picture of how winds are launched, how they propagate through the galaxy and what impact they have on the galactic gas. Recent work suggests that AGN luminosity plays an important role. The following described projects focus on understanding the power, reach and impact of feedback processes exerted by AGN of different power. I first describe recent efforts in our group of relating feedback signatures in powerful quasars to the specific star formation rate in their host galaxies, where our results are consistent with the AGN having a `negative' impact through feedback on the galaxies' star formation history. Feedback signatures seem to be best observable in gas-rich galaxies where the coupling of the AGN-driven wind to the gas is strongest, in agreement with recent simulations. But how and where does this quenching happen? Is it accomplished through the mechanical action of jets or through nuclear winds driven by radiation pressure? Finally, I show that AGN signatures and AGN-driven winds can be easily hidden and not be apparent in the integrated spectrum of a galaxy hosting a low/intermediate-luminosity AGN. Using data from the new SDSS-IV MaNGA survey, we have developed a new AGN selection algorithm tailored to IFU data and we are uncovering a much more nuanced picture of AGN activity allowing us to discover AGN signatures at large distances from the galaxy center. This implies that large IFU surveys, such as the SDSS-IV MaNGA survey, might uncover many previously unknown AGN and feedback signatures related to them. Outflows and feedback from low- and intermediate-luminosity AGN might have been underestimated in the past but can potentially significantly contribute to the AGN/host-galaxy self-regulation.

  6. Radio and Gamma-Ray Monitoring of Strongly Lensed Quasars and Blazars

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rumbaugh, Nick; Fassnacht, Chris; McKean, John; Koopmans, Leon; Auger, Matthew; Suyu, Sherry; Marshall, Philip J.

    2015-01-01

    We observed six strongly lensed, radio-loud quasars (MG 0414+0534, CLASS B0712+472, JVAS B1030+074, CLASS B1127+385, CLASS B1152+199, and JVAS B1938+666) in order to identify systems suitable for measuring cosmological parameters using time delays between their multiple images. Two separate

  7. RADIO AND MID-INFRARED PROPERTIES OF COMPACT STARBURSTS: DISTANCING THEMSELVES FROM THE MAIN SEQUENCE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Murphy, E. J. [Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); Stierwalt, S.; Armus, L. [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, MC 314-6, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Condon, J. J. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States); Evans, A. S., E-mail: emurphy@obs.carnegiescience.edu [Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, 530 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States)

    2013-05-01

    We investigate the relationship between 8.44 GHz brightness temperatures and 1.4 to 8.44 GHz radio spectral indices with 6.2 {mu}m polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission and 9.7 {mu}m silicate absorption features for a sample of 36 local luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies. We find that galaxies having small 6.2 {mu}m PAH equivalent widths (EQWs), which signal the presence of weak PAH emission and/or an excess of very hot dust, also have flat spectral indices. The three active galactic nuclei (AGN) identified through their excessively large 8.44 GHz brightness temperatures are also identified as AGN via their small 6.2 {mu}m PAH EQWs. We also find that the flattening of the radio spectrum increases with increasing silicate optical depth, 8.44 GHz brightness temperature, and decreasing size of the radio source even after removing potential AGN, supporting the idea that compact starbursts show spectral flattening as the result of increased free-free absorption. These correlations additionally suggest that the dust obscuration in these galaxies must largely be coming from the vicinity of the compact starburst itself, and is not distributed throughout the (foreground) disk of the galaxy. Finally, we investigate the location of these infrared-bright systems relative to the main sequence (star formation rate versus stellar mass) of star-forming galaxies in the local universe. We find that the radio spectral indices of galaxies flatten with increasing distance above the main sequence, or in other words, with increasing specific star formation rate. This indicates that galaxies located above the main sequence, having high specific star formation rates, are typically compact starbursts hosting deeply embedded star formation that becomes more optically thick in the radio and infrared with increased distance above the main sequence.

  8. CONSTRAINING JET PRODUCTION SCENARIOS BY STUDIES OF NARROW-LINE RADIO GALAXIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sikora, Marek [Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Bartycka 18, 00-716 Warsaw (Poland); Stasinska, Grazyna [LUTH, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Universite Paris Diderot, Place Jules Janssen, F-92190 Meudon (France); Koziel-Wierzbowska, Dorota [Astronomical Observatory, Jagiellonian University, ul. Orla 171, 30-244 Krakow (Poland); Madejski, Greg M. [Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Asari, Natalia V., E-mail: sikora@camk.edu.pl [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom)

    2013-03-01

    We study a large sample of narrow-line radio galaxies (NLRGs) with extended radio structures. Using 1.4 GHz radio luminosities L {sub 1.4}, narrow optical emission line luminosities L {sub [OIII]} and L{sub H{sub {alpha}}}, as well as black hole masses M {sub BH} derived from stellar velocity dispersions measured from the optical spectra obtained with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we find that (1) NLRGs cover about four decades of the Eddington ratio, {lambda} {identical_to} L {sub bol}/L {sub Edd}{proportional_to}L {sub line}/M {sub BH}; (2) L {sub 1.4}/M {sub BH} strongly correlates with {lambda}; and (3) radio loudness, R{identical_to}L{sub 1.4}/L{sub line}, strongly anti-correlates with {lambda}. A very broad range of the Eddington ratio indicates that the parent population of NLRGs includes both radio-loud quasars (RLQs) and broad-line radio galaxies (BLRGs). The correlations they obey and their high jet production efficiencies favor a jet production model which involves the so-called magnetically choked accretion scenario. In this model, production of the jet is dominated by the Blandford-Znajek mechanism, and the magnetic fields in the vicinity of the central black hole are confined by the ram pressure of the accretion flow. Since large net magnetic flux accumulated in central regions of the accretion flow required by the model can take place only via geometrically thick accretion, we speculate that the massive, 'cold' accretion events associated with luminous emission-line active galactic nucleus can be accompanied by an efficient jet production only if preceded by a hot, very sub-Eddington accretion phase.

  9. ALMA observations of AGN fuelling. The case of PKS B1718-649

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maccagni, F. M.; Morganti, R.; Oosterloo, T. A.; Oonk, J. B. R.; Emonts, B. H. C.

    2018-06-01

    We present ALMA observations of the 12CO (2-1) line of the newly born (tradio 102 years) active galactic nucleus (AGN), PKS B1718-649. These observations reveal that the carbon monoxide in the innermost 15 kpc of the galaxy is distributed in a complex warped disk. In the outer parts of this disk, the CO gas follows the rotation of the dust lane and of the stellar body of the galaxy hosting the radio source. In the innermost kiloparsec, the gas abruptly changes orientation and forms a circumnuclear disk (r ≲ 700 pc) with its major axis perpendicular to that of the outer disk. Against the compact radio emission of PKS B1718-649 (r 2 pc), we detect an absorption line at red-shifted velocities with respect to the systemic velocity (Δv = +365 ± 22 km s-1). This absorbing CO gas could trace molecular clouds falling onto the central super-massive black hole. A comparison with the near-infrared H2 1-0 S(1) observations shows that the clouds must be close to the black hole (r ≲ 75 pc). The physical conditions of these clouds are different from the gas at larger radii, and are in good agreement with the predictions for the conditions of the gas when cold chaotic accretion triggers an active galactic nucleus. These observations on the centre of PKS B1718-649 provide one of the best indications that a population of cold clouds is falling towards a radio AGN, likely fuelling its activity. The reduced datacube is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/614/A42

  10. The Structure and Function of Male Thomas Langur Loud Calls

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wich, Serge Alexander

    2002-01-01

    This study has addressed the acoustical structure of male loud calls and their function in Thomas langur social organisation. Thomas langurs are medium sized primate that lives in Sumatra, Indonesia. Ome of the characteristics of this species is the loud call of males. Several functions for loud

  11. The effects of music tempo and loudness level on treadmill exercise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edworthy, Judy; Waring, Hannah

    2006-12-15

    This study examined the effects of loudness and tempo of background music on exercise performance. A total of 30 volunteers performed five 10-min exercise sessions on a treadmill. The music listened to whilst exercising was either fast/loud, fast/quiet, slow/loud, slow/quiet or absent. Measures of running speed, heart rate, perceived exertion and affect were taken. Significant effects and interactions were found for running speed and heart rate across the different music tempo and loudness levels. More positive affect was observed during the music condition in comparison to the 'no music' condition. No significant differences for perceived exertion were found across conditions. These results confirm that fast, loud music might be played to enhance optimal exercising, and show how loudness and tempo interact.

  12. The radio structure of the peculiar narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy candidate J1100+4421

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabányi, K. É.; Frey, S.; Paragi, Z.; Järvelä, E.; Morokuma, T.; An, T.; Tanaka, M.; Tar, I.

    2018-01-01

    Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1) are an intriguing subclass of active galactic nuclei. Their observed properties indicate low central black hole mass and high accretion rate. The extremely radio-loud NLS1 sources often show relativistic beaming and are usually regarded as younger counterparts of blazars. Recently, the object SDSS J110006.07+442144.3 was reported as a candidate NLS1 source. The characteristics of its dramatic optical flare indicated its jet-related origin. The spectral energy distribution of the object was similar to that of the γ-ray detected radio-loud NLS1, PMN J0948+0022. Our high-resolution European very long baseline interferometry network observations at 1.7 and 5 GHz revealed a compact core feature with a brightness temperature of ≳1010 K. Using the lowest brightness temperature value and assuming a moderate Lorentz factor of ∼9, the jet viewing angle is ≲26°. Archival Very Large Array data show a large-scale radio structure with a projected linear size of ∼150 kpc reminiscent of double-sided morphology.

  13. A “Cosmic Comb” Model of Fast Radio Bursts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Bing [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154 (United States)

    2017-02-20

    Recent observations of fast radio bursts (FRBs) indicate a perplexing, inconsistent picture. We propose a unified scenario to interpret diverse FRBs observed. A regular pulsar, otherwise unnoticeable at a cosmological distance, may produce a bright FRB if its magnetosphere is suddenly “combed” by a nearby, strong plasma stream toward the anti-stream direction. If the Earth is to the night side of the stream, the combed magnetic sheath would sweep across the direction of Earth and make a detectable FRB. The stream could be an AGN flare, a GRB or supernova blastwave, a tidal disruption event, or even a stellar flare. Since it is the energy flux received by the pulsar rather than the luminosity of the stream origin that defines the properties of the FRB, this model predicts a variety of counterparts of FRBs, including a possible connection between FRB 150418 and an AGN flare, a possible connection between FRB 131104 and a weak GRB, a steady radio nebula associated with the repeating FRB 121102, and probably no bright counterparts for some FRBs.

  14. A “Cosmic Comb” Model of Fast Radio Bursts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Bing

    2017-01-01

    Recent observations of fast radio bursts (FRBs) indicate a perplexing, inconsistent picture. We propose a unified scenario to interpret diverse FRBs observed. A regular pulsar, otherwise unnoticeable at a cosmological distance, may produce a bright FRB if its magnetosphere is suddenly “combed” by a nearby, strong plasma stream toward the anti-stream direction. If the Earth is to the night side of the stream, the combed magnetic sheath would sweep across the direction of Earth and make a detectable FRB. The stream could be an AGN flare, a GRB or supernova blastwave, a tidal disruption event, or even a stellar flare. Since it is the energy flux received by the pulsar rather than the luminosity of the stream origin that defines the properties of the FRB, this model predicts a variety of counterparts of FRBs, including a possible connection between FRB 150418 and an AGN flare, a possible connection between FRB 131104 and a weak GRB, a steady radio nebula associated with the repeating FRB 121102, and probably no bright counterparts for some FRBs.

  15. A composite plot of far-infrared versus radio luminosity, and the origin of far-infrared luminosity in quasars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sopp, H.M.; Alexander, P.

    1991-01-01

    We have constructed a composite plot of far-infrared versus radioluminosity for late-type galaxies, Seyferts, quasars and radio galaxies. The most striking result is that the radio and far-infrared luminosities of radio-quiet quasars are correlated and follow the same correlation as normal star-forming galaxies and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies, whereas the radio-loud quasars have luminosities in both bands similar to those of radio galaxies. We conclude that the far-infrared emission from radio-quiet quasars is from star-forming host galaxies and not from active galactic nuclei. The far-infrared radio plot may be a powerful discriminator between host galaxy type. (author)

  16. Quality and loudness judgments for music subjected to compression limiting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Croghan, Naomi B H; Arehart, Kathryn H; Kates, James M

    2012-08-01

    Dynamic-range compression (DRC) is used in the music industry to maximize loudness. The amount of compression applied to commercial recordings has increased over time due to a motivating perspective that louder music is always preferred. In contrast to this viewpoint, artists and consumers have argued that using large amounts of DRC negatively affects the quality of music. However, little research evidence has supported the claims of either position. The present study investigated how DRC affects the perceived loudness and sound quality of recorded music. Rock and classical music samples were peak-normalized and then processed using different amounts of DRC. Normal-hearing listeners rated the processed and unprocessed samples on overall loudness, dynamic range, pleasantness, and preference, using a scaled paired-comparison procedure in two conditions: un-equalized, in which the loudness of the music samples varied, and loudness-equalized, in which loudness differences were minimized. Results indicated that a small amount of compression was preferred in the un-equalized condition, but the highest levels of compression were generally detrimental to quality, whether loudness was equalized or varied. These findings are contrary to the "louder is better" mentality in the music industry and suggest that more conservative use of DRC may be preferred for commercial music.

  17. AGN feedback in galaxy formation

    CERN Document Server

    Antonuccio-Delogu, Vincenzo

    2010-01-01

    During the past decade, convincing evidence has been accumulated concerning the effect of active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity on the internal and external environment of their host galaxies. Featuring contributions from well-respected researchers in the field, and bringing together work by specialists in both galaxy formation and AGN, this volume addresses a number of key questions about AGN feedback in the context of galaxy formation. The topics covered include downsizing and star-formation time scales in massive elliptical galaxies, the connection between the epochs of supermassive black h

  18. Jets, arcs, and shocks: NGC 5195 at radio wavelengths

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rampadarath, H.; Soria, R.; Urquhart, R.; Argo, M. K.; Brightman, M.; Lacey, C. K.; Schlegel, E. M.; Beswick, R. J.; Baldi, R. D.; Muxlow, T. W. B.; McHardy, I. M.; Williams, D. R. A.; Dumas, G.

    2018-05-01

    We studied the nearby, interacting galaxy NGC 5195 (M 51b) in the radio, optical and X-ray bands. We mapped the extended, low-surface-brightness features of its radio-continuum emission; determined the energy content of its complex structure of shock-ionized gas; constrained the current activity level of its supermassive nuclear black hole. In particular, we combined data from the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (˜1-pc scale), from our new e-MERLIN observations (˜10-pc scale), and from the Very Large Array (˜100-1000-pc scale), to obtain a global picture of energy injection in this galaxy. We put an upper limit to the luminosity of the (undetected) flat-spectrum radio core. We find steep-spectrum, extended emission within 10 pc of the nuclear position, consistent with optically thin synchrotron emission from nuclear star formation or from an outflow powered by an active galactic nucleus (AGN). A linear spur of radio emission juts out of the nuclear source towards the kpc-scale arcs (detected in radio, Hα and X-ray bands). From the size, shock velocity, and Balmer line luminosity of the kpc-scale bubble, we estimate that it was inflated by a long-term-average mechanical power ˜3-6 × 1041 erg s-1 over the last 3-6 Myr. This is an order of magnitude more power than can be provided by the current level of star formation, and by the current accretion power of the supermassive black hole. We argue that a jet-inflated bubble scenario associated with previous episodes of AGN activity is the most likely explanation for the kpc-scale structures.

  19. Hot Coronae in Local AGN: Present Status and Future Perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Marinucci

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The nuclear X-ray emission in radio-quiet Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN is commonly believed to be due to inverse Compton scattering of soft UV photons in a hot corona. The radiation is expected to be polarized, the polarization degree depending mainly on the geometry and optical depth of the corona. Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR observations are providing for the first time high quality measurements of the coronal physical parameters—temperature and optical depth. We hereby review the NuSTAR results on the coronal physical parameters (temperature and optical depth and discuss their implications for future X-ray polarimetric studies.

  20. The Swift/BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey. IX. The Clustering Environments of an Unbiased Sample of Local AGNs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, M. C.; Cappelluti, N.; Urry, C. M.; Koss, M.; Finoguenov, A.; Ricci, C.; Trakhtenbrot, B.; Allevato, V.; Ajello, M.; Oh, K.; Schawinski, K.; Secrest, N.

    2018-05-01

    We characterize the environments of local accreting supermassive black holes by measuring the clustering of AGNs in the Swift/BAT Spectroscopic Survey (BASS). With 548 AGN in the redshift range 0.01 2MASS galaxies, and interpreting it via halo occupation distribution and subhalo-based models, we constrain the occupation statistics of the full sample, as well as in bins of absorbing column density and black hole mass. We find that AGNs tend to reside in galaxy group environments, in agreement with previous studies of AGNs throughout a large range of luminosity and redshift, and that on average they occupy their dark matter halos similar to inactive galaxies of comparable stellar mass. We also find evidence that obscured AGNs tend to reside in denser environments than unobscured AGNs, even when samples were matched in luminosity, redshift, stellar mass, and Eddington ratio. We show that this can be explained either by significantly different halo occupation distributions or statistically different host halo assembly histories. Lastly, we see that massive black holes are slightly more likely to reside in central galaxies than black holes of smaller mass.

  1. A Loudness Function for Analog and Digital Sound Systems based on Equal Loudness Level Contours

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Sofus Birkedal

    2016-01-01

    frequency balance will been changed both for LL lower or higher than ML. The differences in ELLC ask for a level based equalization using fractional-order filters. A designing technique for both analog and digital fractional-order filters was developed. The analog solution is based on OPAMs and the digital......A new and better loudness compensation has been designed based on the differences between the Equal Loudness Level Contours (ELLC) in ISO 226:2003. Sound productions are normally being mixed at a high mixing level (ML) but often played at lower listening level (LL) which mean that the perceived...

  2. Loudness of tone pulses in a free field

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Torben

    1981-01-01

    Investigations of temporal loudness summation of tone pulses have been performed. The investigations comprised equal loudness determinations between pairs of tone pulses with a duration ratio of 1:2, and threshold determinations of the same tone pulses. Pulse durations ranged from 5 to 640 ms...

  3. [Factors influencing the pitch and loudness of tinnitus].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ueda, S; Asoh, S; Watanabe, Y

    1992-11-01

    Pitch match and loudness balance tests were given to 397 cases with tinnitus. The factors which influenced tinnitus pitch and loudness were analyzed statistically from the clinical point of view. The results obtained were as follows: 1) Onomatopoeia of tinnitus, either [Keeeen] or [Jeeeen], were observed in a majority of cases. 2) Significantly sharp sounding onomatopoeia such as [Keeeen] or [Meeeen] had high pitches, over 4kHz, and dull sounds like [Gooooh] or [Buuuun] had low pitches, below 500Hz. 3) Acute stage tinnitus, within one month of onset, had a significantly depressed pitch and walked loudness, above 6dB. 4) The pitches observed in cases with Meniere's disease and chronic otitis media were distributed evenly from low frequencies to high. In other cases, especially presbyacusis and noise deafness, high pitch tinnitus (above 4kHz) was frequently noted. The loudness of tinnitus without hearing loss was significantly greater than in other diseases. 5) As a rule the more deteriorated the hearing level was, the lower the frequency of the pitch, and the smaller the loudness in tinnitus. 6) A high pitch of tinnitus nearly corresponded with hearing type, that is, the pitch of tinnitus was also in accordance with the disturbed frequency in the hearing threshold.

  4. Binaural loudness for artificial-head measurements in directional sound fields

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sivonen, Ville Pekka; Ellermeier, Wolfgang

    2008-01-01

    The effect of the sound incidence angle on loudness was investigated for fifteen listeners who matched the loudness of sounds coming from five different incidence angles in the horizontal plane to that of the same sound with frontal incidence. The stimuli were presented via binaural synthesis...... by using head-related transfer functions measured for an artificial head. The results, which exhibited marked individual differences, show that loudness depends on the direction from which a sound reaches the listener. The average results suggest a relatively simple rule for combining the two signals...... at the ears of an artificial head for binaural loudness predictions....

  5. On the relation between peripheral compression and the growth of loudness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buus, Søren; Florentine, Mary; Poulsen, Torben

    1999-01-01

    This presentation reviews similarities and differences between normal listeners' pure-tone loudness functions and the compressive basilar-membrane, BM, input-output function. Loudness matches between pure tones and multitone complexes with widely separated components reveal that the loudness...... function can be modeled by a modified power function with local exponents around unity near threshold and 0.2 at moderate levels [S. Buus et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 104, 399–410 (1998)]. Loudness matches between short and long tones show that the SPL difference at equal loudness is a nonmonotonic function...... of SPL and is largest at moderate levels [S. Buus et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 101, 669–680 (1997)]. These data can be explained by a loudness function that is flattest at moderate levels, where its local exponent also is around 0.2. This value is close to that obtained for BM input-output functions...

  6. The AGN-Star Formation Connection: Future Prospects with JWST

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirkpatrick, Allison; Alberts, Stacey; Pope, Alexandra; Barro, Guillermo; Bonato, Matteo; Kocevski, Dale D.; Pérez-González, Pablo; Rieke, George H.; Rodríguez-Muñoz, Lucia; Sajina, Anna; Grogin, Norman A.; Mantha, Kameswara Bharadwaj; Pandya, Viraj; Pforr, Janine; Salvato, Mara; Santini, Paola

    2017-11-01

    The bulk of the stellar growth over cosmic time is dominated by IR-luminous galaxies at cosmic noon (z=1{--}2), many of which harbor a hidden active galactic nucleus (AGN). We use state-of-the-art infrared color diagnostics, combining Spitzer and Herschel observations, to separate dust-obscured AGNs from dusty star-forming galaxies (SFGs) in the CANDELS and COSMOS surveys. We calculate 24 μm counts of SFGs, AGN/star-forming “Composites,” and AGNs. AGNs and Composites dominate the counts above 0.8 mJy at 24 μm, and Composites form at least 25% of an IR sample even to faint detection limits. We develop methods to use the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on JWST to identify dust-obscured AGNs and Composite galaxies from z˜ 1{--}2. With the sensitivity and spacing of MIRI filters, we will detect >4 times as many AGN hosts as with Spitzer/IRAC criteria. Any star formation rates based on the 7.7 μm PAH feature (likely to be applied to MIRI photometry) must be corrected for the contribution of the AGN, or the star formation rate will be overestimated by ˜35% for cases where the AGN provides half the IR luminosity and ˜50% when the AGN accounts for 90% of the luminosity. Finally, we demonstrate that our MIRI color technique can select AGNs with an Eddington ratio of {λ }{Edd}˜ 0.01 and will identify AGN hosts with a higher specific star formation rate than X-ray techniques alone. JWST/MIRI will enable critical steps forward in identifying and understanding dust-obscured AGNs and the link to their host galaxies.

  7. Single-Dish Radio Polarimetry in the F-GAMMA Program with the Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beuchert Tobias

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Studying the variability of polarized AGN jet emission in the radio band is crucial for understanding the dynamics of moving shocks as well as the structure of the underlying magnetic field. The 100-m Effelsberg Telescope is a high-quality instrument for studying the long-term variability of both total and polarized intensity as well as the electric-vector position angle. Since 2007, the F-GAMMA program has been monitoring the linear polarized emission of roughly 60 blazars at 11 frequencies between 2.7 and 43 GHz. Here, we describe the calibration of the polarimetric data at 5 and 10 GHz and the resulting F-GAMMA full-Stokes light curves for the exemplary case of the radio galaxy 3C 111.

  8. NuSTAR Observations of the Powerful Radio-Galaxy Cygnus A

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Reynolds, Christopher S.; Lohfink, Anne M.; Ogle, Patrick M.

    2015-01-01

    We present NuSTAR observations of the powerful radio galaxy Cygnus A,focusing on the central absorbed active galactic nucleus (AGN). Cygnus A is embedded in a cool-core galaxy cluster, and hence we also examine archival XMM-Newton data to facilitate the decomposition of the spectrum into the AGN...... and intracluster medium (ICM) components. NuSTAR gives a source-dominated spectrum of the AGN out to >70keV. In gross terms, the NuSTAR spectrum of the AGN has the form of a power law (Γ~1.6-1.7) absorbed by a neutral column density of NH~1.6x1023 cm-2. However, we also detect curvature in the hard (>10ke......V (90% confidence). Interestingly, the absorbed power-law plus reflection modelleaves residuals suggesting the absorption/emission from a fast(15,000-26,000km/s), high column-density (NW>3x1023 cm-2), highly ionized (ξ~2,500 erg cm/s-1) wind. A second, even faster ionized wind component is also...

  9. THE JET POWER AND EMISSION-LINE CORRELATIONS OF RADIO-LOUD OPTICALLY SELECTED QUASARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Punsly, Brian; Zhang Shaohua

    2011-01-01

    In this Letter, the properties of the extended radio emission form Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 quasars with 0.4 20-30 kpc). The frequency of quasars with FR II level extended radio emission is ∼2.3% and >0.4% of quasars have FR I level extended radio emission. The lower limit simply reflects the flux density limit of the survey. The distribution of the long-term time-averaged jet powers of these quasars, Q-bar , has a broad peak ∼3 x 10 44 erg s -1 that turns over below 10 44 erg s -1 and sources above 10 45 erg s -1 are extremely rare. It is found that the correlation between the bolometric (total thermal) luminosity of the accretion flow, L bol , and Q-bar is not strong. The correlation of Q-bar with narrow line luminosity is stronger than the correlation with broad line luminosity and the continuum luminosity. It is therefore concluded that previous interpretations of correlations of Q-bar with narrow line strengths in radio galaxies as a direct correlation of jet power and accretion power have been overstated. It is explained why this interpretation mistakenly overlooks the sizeable fraction of sources with weak accretion luminosity and powerful jets discovered by Ogle et al.

  10. GBT Detection of Polarization-Dependent HI Absorption and HI Outflows in Local ULIRGs and Quasars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teng, Stacy H.; Veilleux, Sylvain; Baker, Andrew J.

    2013-01-01

    We present the results of a 21-cm HI survey of 27 local massive gas-rich late-stage mergers and merger remnants with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT). These remnants were selected from the Quasar/ULIRG Evolution Study (QUEST) sample of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs; L(sub 8 - 1000 micron) > 10(exp 12) solar L) and quasars; our targets are all bolometrically dominated by active galactic nuclei (AGN) and sample the later phases of the proposed ULIRG-to-quasar evolutionary sequence. We find the prevalence of HI absorption (emission) to be 100% (29%) in ULIRGs with HI detections, 100% (88%) in FIR-strong quasars, and 63% (100%) in FIR-weak quasars. The absorption features are associated with powerful neutral outflows that change from being mainly driven by star formation in ULIRGs to being driven by the AGN in the quasars. These outflows have velocities that exceed 1500 km/s in some cases. Unexpectedly, we find polarization-dependent HI absorption in 57% of our spectra (88% and 63% of the FIR-strong and FIR-weak quasars, respectively). We attribute this result to absorption of polarized continuum emission from these sources by foreground HI clouds. About 60% of the quasars displaying polarized spectra are radio-loud, far higher than the approx 10% observed in the general AGN population. This discrepancy suggests that radio jets play an important role in shaping the environments in these galaxies. These systems may represent a transition phase in the evolution of gas-rich mergers into "mature" radio galaxies.

  11. A Compact Group of Galaxies at z = 2.48 Hosting an AGN-driven Outflow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shih, Hsin-Yi; Stockton, Alan

    2015-12-01

    We present observations of a remarkable compact group of galaxies at z = 2.48. Four galaxies, all within 40 kpc of each other, surround a powerful high-redshift radio source. This group comprises two compact red passive galaxies and a pair of merging galaxies. One of the red galaxies, with an apparent stellar mass of 3.6 × 1011M⊙ and an effective radius of 470 pc, is one of the most extreme examples of a massive quiescent compact galaxy found so far. One of the pair of merging galaxies hosts the active galactic nucleus (AGN) producing the large powerful radio structure. The merger is massive and enriched, consistent with the mass-metallicity relation expected at this redshift. Close to the merging nuclei, the emission lines exhibit broad and asymmetric profiles that suggest outflows powered either by a very young expanding radio jet or by AGN radiation. At ≳50 kpc from the system, we found a fainter extended-emission region that may be a part of a radio-jet-driven outflow. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. The work is also based, in part, on data collected at the Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, and on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brazil), and Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva (Argentina).

  12. Sources of the Radio Background Considered

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singal, J.; /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U.; Stawarz, L.; /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U. /Jagiellonian U., Astron. Observ.; Lawrence, A.; /Edinburgh U., Inst. Astron. /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U.; Petrosian, V.; /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /Stanford U., Appl. Phys. Dept.

    2011-08-22

    We investigate possible origins of the extragalactic radio background reported by the ARCADE 2 collaboration. The surface brightness of the background is several times higher than that which would result from currently observed radio sources. We consider contributions to the background from diffuse synchrotron emission from clusters and the intergalactic medium, previously unrecognized flux from low surface brightness regions of radio sources, and faint point sources below the flux limit of existing surveys. By examining radio source counts available in the literature, we conclude that most of the radio background is produced by radio point sources that dominate at sub {mu}Jy fluxes. We show that a truly diffuse background produced by elections far from galaxies is ruled out because such energetic electrons would overproduce the observed X-ray/{gamma}-ray background through inverse Compton scattering of the other photon fields. Unrecognized flux from low surface brightness regions of extended radio sources, or moderate flux sources missed entirely by radio source count surveys, cannot explain the bulk of the observed background, but may contribute as much as 10%. We consider both radio supernovae and radio quiet quasars as candidate sources for the background, and show that both fail to produce it at the observed level because of insufficient number of objects and total flux, although radio quiet quasars contribute at the level of at least a few percent. We conclude that the most important population for production of the background is likely ordinary starforming galaxies above redshift 1 characterized by an evolving radio far-infrared correlation, which increases toward the radio loud with redshift.

  13. Loudness of brief tones in listeners with normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buus, Søren; Florentine, Mary; Poulsen, Torben

    1997-01-01

    To investigate how hearing loss affects the loudness of brief tones, loudness matches between 5- and 200-ms tones were obtained as a function of level. Loudness functions derived from these data indicated that the gain required to restore loudness usually is the same for short and long sounds....

  14. AGN outflows as neutrino sources: an observational test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Padovani, P.; Turcati, A.; Resconi, E.

    2018-04-01

    We test the recently proposed idea that outflows associated with Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) could be neutrino emitters in two complementary ways. First, we cross-correlate a list of 94 "bona fide" AGN outflows with the most complete and updated repository of IceCube neutrinos currently publicly available, assembled by us for this purpose. It turns out that AGN with outflows matched to an IceCube neutrino have outflow and kinetic energy rates, and bolometric powers larger than those of AGN with outflows not matched to neutrinos. Second, we carry out a statistical analysis on a catalogue of [O III] λ5007 line profiles using a sample of 23,264 AGN at z values (˜6 and 18 per cent respectively, pre-trial) for relatively high velocities and luminosities. Our results are consistent with a scenario where AGN outflows are neutrino emitters but at present do not provide a significant signal. This can be tested with better statistics and source stacking. A predominant role of AGN outflows in explaining the IceCube data appears in any case to be ruled out.

  15. Parsec-Scale Radio Properties of Gamma-ray Bright Blazars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linford, Justin

    2012-01-01

    The parsec-scale radio properties of blazars detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have been investigated using observations with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). Comparisons between LAT and non-LAT detected samples were made using both archival and contemporaneous data. In total, 244 sources were used in the LAT-detected sample. This very large, radio flux-limited sample of active galactic nuclei (AGN) provides insights into the mechanism that produces strong gamma-ray emission. It has been found that LAT-detected BL Lac objects are very similar to the non-LAT BL Lac objects in most properties, although LAT BL Lac objects may have longer jets. The LAT flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) are significantly different from non-LAT FSRQs and are likely extreme members of the FSRQ population. Archival radio data indicated that there was no significant correlation between radio flux density and gamma-ray flux, especially at lower flux levels. However, contemporaneous observations showed a strong correlation. Most of the differences between the LAT and non-LAT populations are related to the cores of the sources, indicating that the gamma-ray emission may originate near the base of the jets (i.e., within a few pc of the central engine). There is some indication that LAT-detected sources may have larger jet opening angles than the non-LAT sources. Strong core polarization is significantly more common among the LAT sources, suggesting that gamma-ray emission is related to strong, uniform magnetic fields at the base of the jets of the blazars. Observations of sources in two epochs indicate that core fractional polarization was higher when the objects were detected by the LAT. Included in our sample are several non-blazar AGN such as 3C84, M82, and NGC 6251.

  16. Tracing Supermassive Black Hole Growth with Offset and Dual AGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Comerford, Julia

    The growth of supermassive black holes is tied to the evolution of their host galaxies, but we are still missing a fundamental understanding of how and when supermassive black holes build up their mass. Black hole mass growth can be traced when the black holes are powered as active galactic nuclei (AGN), and AGN activity can be triggered by the stochastic accretion of gas or by gas inflows driven by galaxy mergers. Galaxy merger simulations make a series of predictions about the AGN that are triggered by mergers: (1) major mergers preferentially trigger higher-luminosity AGN, (2) minor mergers more often trigger AGN activity in one supermassive black hole while major mergers more often trigger AGN activity in both black holes in a merger, and (3) black hole mass growth peaks when the black holes approach the center (theory have been limited by the difficulty in defining a clean observational sample of AGN in galaxy mergers and the observational challenge of spatially resolving two AGN with small (dual AGN as a new observational tool that can be used to address how and when supermassive black hole mass growth occurs. A merger of two galaxies brings two supermassive black holes together, and the two black holes exist at kpc-scale separations for 100 Myr before ultimately merging. While the black holes are at kpc-scale separations, they are known as dual AGN when both of them are fueled as AGN and offset AGN when only one is fueled as an AGN. Since offset and dual AGN only occur in galaxy mergers, by their very definition, they provide a clean observational sample of black hole mass growth in galaxy mergers. The small, kpc-scale separations of offset and dual AGN also enable an observational test of black hole fueling near the centers of merger-remnant galaxies. The full potential of offset and dual AGN for such studies of black hole mass growth has not yet been realized, due to the small number of such systems known. To date, only 13 confirmed offset and dual AGN are

  17. Morphometric Differences of Vocal Tract Articulators in Different Loudness Conditions in Singing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Echternach, Matthias; Burk, Fabian; Burdumy, Michael; Traser, Louisa; Richter, Bernhard

    2016-01-01

    Dynamic MRI analysis of phonation has gathered interest in voice and speech physiology. However, there are limited data addressing the extent to which articulation is dependent on loudness. 12 professional singer subjects of different voice classifications were analysed concerning the vocal tract profiles recorded with dynamic real-time MRI with 25fps in different pitch and loudness conditions. The subjects were asked to sing ascending scales on the vowel /a/ in three loudness conditions (comfortable=mf, very soft=pp, very loud=ff, respectively). Furthermore, fundamental frequency and sound pressure level were analysed from the simultaneously recorded optical audio signal after noise cancellation. The data show articulatory differences with respect to changes of both pitch and loudness. Here, lip opening and pharynx width were increased. While the vertical larynx position was rising with pitch it was lower for greater loudness. Especially, the lip opening and pharynx width were more strongly correlated with the sound pressure level than with pitch. For the vowel /a/ loudness has an effect on articulation during singing which should be considered when articulatory vocal tract data are interpreted.

  18. Infrared-faint radio sources in the SERVS deep fields. Pinpointing AGNs at high redshift

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maini, A.; Prandoni, I.; Norris, R. P.; Spitler, L. R.; Mignano, A.; Lacy, M.; Morganti, R.

    2016-01-01

    Context. Infrared-faint radio sources (IFRS) represent an unexpected class of objects which are relatively bright at radio wavelength, but unusually faint at infrared (IR) and optical wavelengths. A recent and extensive campaign on the radio-brightest IFRSs (S1.4 GHz≳ 10 mJy) has provided evidence

  19. Tinnitus: distinguishing between subjectively perceived loudness and tinnitus-related distress.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elisabeth Wallhäusser-Franke

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: Overall success of current tinnitus therapies is low, which may be due to the heterogeneity of tinnitus patients. Therefore, subclassification of tinnitus patients is expected to improve therapeutic allocation, which, in turn, is hoped to improve therapeutic success for the individual patient. The present study aims to define factors that differentially influence subjectively perceived tinnitus loudness and tinnitus-related distress. METHODS: In a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey, the data of 4705 individuals with tinnitus were analyzed. The self-report questionnaire contained items about subjective tinnitus loudness, type of onset, awareness and localization of the tinnitus, hearing impairment, chronic comorbidities, sleep quality, and psychometrically validated questionnaires addressing tinnitus-related distress, depressivity, anxiety, and somatic symptom severity. In a binary step-wise logistic regression model, we tested the predictive power of these variables on subjective tinnitus loudness and tinnitus-related distress. RESULTS: The present data contribute to the distinction between subjective tinnitus loudness and tinnitus-related distress. Whereas subjective loudness was associated with permanent awareness and binaural localization of the tinnitus, tinnitus-related distress was associated with depressivity, anxiety, and somatic symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: Subjective tinnitus loudness and the potential presence of severe depressivity, anxiety, and somatic symptom severity should be assessed separately from tinnitus-related distress. If loud tinnitus is the major complaint together with mild or moderate tinnitus-related distress, therapies should focus on auditory perception. If levels of depressivity, anxiety or somatic symptom severity are severe, therapies and further diagnosis should focus on these symptoms at first.

  20. Tinnitus: Distinguishing between Subjectively Perceived Loudness and Tinnitus-Related Distress

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallhäusser-Franke, Elisabeth; Brade, Joachim; Balkenhol, Tobias; D'Amelio, Roberto; Seegmüller, Andrea; Delb, Wolfgang

    2012-01-01

    Objectives Overall success of current tinnitus therapies is low, which may be due to the heterogeneity of tinnitus patients. Therefore, subclassification of tinnitus patients is expected to improve therapeutic allocation, which, in turn, is hoped to improve therapeutic success for the individual patient. The present study aims to define factors that differentially influence subjectively perceived tinnitus loudness and tinnitus-related distress. Methods In a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey, the data of 4705 individuals with tinnitus were analyzed. The self-report questionnaire contained items about subjective tinnitus loudness, type of onset, awareness and localization of the tinnitus, hearing impairment, chronic comorbidities, sleep quality, and psychometrically validated questionnaires addressing tinnitus-related distress, depressivity, anxiety, and somatic symptom severity. In a binary step-wise logistic regression model, we tested the predictive power of these variables on subjective tinnitus loudness and tinnitus-related distress. Results The present data contribute to the distinction between subjective tinnitus loudness and tinnitus-related distress. Whereas subjective loudness was associated with permanent awareness and binaural localization of the tinnitus, tinnitus-related distress was associated with depressivity, anxiety, and somatic symptom severity. Conclusions Subjective tinnitus loudness and the potential presence of severe depressivity, anxiety, and somatic symptom severity should be assessed separately from tinnitus-related distress. If loud tinnitus is the major complaint together with mild or moderate tinnitus-related distress, therapies should focus on auditory perception. If levels of depressivity, anxiety or somatic symptom severity are severe, therapies and further diagnosis should focus on these symptoms at first. PMID:22529921

  1. THE ORIGIN OF THE INFRARED EMISSION IN RADIO GALAXIES. II. ANALYSIS OF MID- TO FAR-INFRARED SPITZER OBSERVATIONS OF THE 2JY SAMPLE

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dicken, D.; Tadhunter, C.; Axon, D.; Morganti, R.; Inskip, K. J.; Holt, J.; Delgado, R. Gonzalez; Groves, B.

    2009-01-01

    We present an analysis of deep mid- to far-infrared (MFIR) Spitzer photometric observations of the southern 2Jy sample of powerful radio sources (0.05 radio jet, active galactic nucleus (AGN), starburst activity and MFIR

  2. The Origin and Structure of the Magnetic Fields and Currents of AGN Jets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denise Gabuzda

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper reviews observational evidence obtained to date about the overall structure of the magnetic fields in the jets of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN. Because they are sensitive to the line-of-sight magnetic-field component, Faraday rotation observations of AGN jets provide an effective tool for searching for toroidal jet magnetic fields, whose line-of-sight component changes systematically across the jet. Transverse Faraday rotation measure (RM gradients providing direct evidence for helical/toroidal magnetic fields have been reliably detected in nearly 40 AGN on parsec scales. Helical magnetic fields are believed to form due to the combined action of the rotation of the central black hole and accretion disk, and these observations demonstrate that at least some of this helical field survives to distances well beyond the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI core. Observations of reversals in the direction of the transverse RM gradients in a number of AGN provide evidence for a“return”magnetic field forming a nested helical-field structure with oppositely directed azimuthal components in the inner and outer regions of the helical magnetic field. The collected data now provide firm evidence for a predominance of inward jet currents on parsec scales and outward currents on scales greater than a few tens of parsecs. This suggests a global pattern of magnetic fields and currents with an inward current near the jet axis and an outward current farther from the jet axis, with these currents closing in the accretion disk and far out in the radio lobes, forming a self-consistent set of fields and currents together with the implied nested helical-field structure.

  3. Effect of direction on loudness in individual binaural synthesis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sivonen, Ville Pekka; Minnaar, Pauli; Ellermeier, Wolfgang

    2005-01-01

    The effect of sound incidence angle on loudness is investigated in this study using binaural synthesis. Individual head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and headphone equalization are used to present narrow-band noises from different directions to listeners. Their task is to match the loudness...... of these stimuli in an adaptive procedure to a reference noise in front of the listeners. The results are compared to an earlier investigation with the same experimental design in a real sound field. Based on the results the role of the individual HRTFs in loudness judgments is inspected, and finally, binaural...

  4. The Radio/Gamma-Ray Connection from 120 MHz to 230 GHz

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcello Giroletti

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Radio loud active galactic nuclei are composed of different spatial features, each one characterized by different spectral properties in the radio band. Among them, blazars are the most common class of sources detected at gamma-rays by Fermi, and their radio emission is dominated by the flat spectrum compact core. In this contribution, we explore the connection between emission at high energy revealed by Fermi and at radio frequencies. Taking as a reference the strong and very highly significant correlation found between gamma rays and cm-λ radio emission, we explore the different behaviours found as we change the energy range in gamma rays and in radio, therefore changing the physical parameters of the zones involved in the emitted radiation. We find that the correlation weakens when we consider (1 gamma rays of energy above 10 GeV (except for high synchrotron peaked blazars or (2 low frequency radio data taken by the Murchison Widefield Array; on the other hand, the correlation strengthens when we consider mm-λ data taken by Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA.

  5. A New Infrared Color Criterion for the Selection of 0 < z < 7 AGNs: Application to Deep Fields and Implications for JWST Surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Messias, H.; Afonso, J.; Salvato, M.; Mobasher, B.; Hopkins, A. M.

    2012-08-01

    It is widely accepted that observations at mid-infrared (mid-IR) wavelengths enable the selection of galaxies with nuclear activity, which may not be revealed even in the deepest X-ray surveys. Many mid-IR color-color criteria have been explored to accomplish this goal and tested thoroughly in the literature. Besides missing many low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs), one of the main conclusions is that, with increasing redshift, the contamination by non-active galaxies becomes significant (especially at z >~ 2.5). This is problematic for the study of the AGN phenomenon in the early universe, the main goal of many of the current and future deep extragalactic surveys. In this work new near- and mid-IR color diagnostics are explored, aiming for improved efficiency—better completeness and less contamination—in selecting AGNs out to very high redshifts. We restrict our study to the James Webb Space Telescope wavelength range (0.6-27 μm). The criteria are created based on the predictions by state-of-the-art galaxy and AGN templates covering a wide variety of galaxy properties, and tested against control samples with deep multi-wavelength coverage (ranging from the X-rays to radio frequencies). We show that the colors Ks - [4.5], [4.5] - [8.0], and [8.0] - [24] are ideal as AGN/non-AGN diagnostics at, respectively, z ~ 2.5-3. However, when the source redshift is unknown, these colors should be combined. We thus develop an improved IR criterion (using Ks and IRAC bands, KI) as a new alternative at z 50%-90% level of successful AGN selection). We also propose KIM (using Ks , IRAC, and MIPS 24 μm bands, KIM), which aims to select AGN hosts from local distances to as far back as the end of reionization (0 ~ 2.5. Overall, KIM shows a ~30%-40% completeness and a >70%-90% level of successful AGN selection. KI and KIM are built to be reliable against a ~10%-20% error in flux, are based on existing filters, and are suitable for immediate use.

  6. Sequential dependencies in magnitude scaling of loudness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Joshi, Suyash Narendra; Jesteadt, Walt

    2013-01-01

    Ten normally hearing listeners used a programmable sone-potentiometer knob to adjust the level of a 1000-Hz sinusoid to match the loudness of numbers presented to them in a magnitude production task. Three different power-law exponents (0.15, 0.30, and 0.60) and a log-law with equal steps in d......B were used to program the sone-potentiometer. The knob settings systematically influenced the form of the loudness function. Time series analysis was used to assess the sequential dependencies in the data, which increased with increasing exponent and were greatest for the log-law. It would be possible......, therefore, to choose knob properties that minimized these dependencies. When the sequential dependencies were removed from the data, the slope of the loudness functions did not change, but the variability decreased. Sequential dependencies were only present when the level of the tone on the previous trial...

  7. Morphometric Differences of Vocal Tract Articulators in Different Loudness Conditions in Singing.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthias Echternach

    Full Text Available Dynamic MRI analysis of phonation has gathered interest in voice and speech physiology. However, there are limited data addressing the extent to which articulation is dependent on loudness.12 professional singer subjects of different voice classifications were analysed concerning the vocal tract profiles recorded with dynamic real-time MRI with 25fps in different pitch and loudness conditions. The subjects were asked to sing ascending scales on the vowel /a/ in three loudness conditions (comfortable=mf, very soft=pp, very loud=ff, respectively. Furthermore, fundamental frequency and sound pressure level were analysed from the simultaneously recorded optical audio signal after noise cancellation.The data show articulatory differences with respect to changes of both pitch and loudness. Here, lip opening and pharynx width were increased. While the vertical larynx position was rising with pitch it was lower for greater loudness. Especially, the lip opening and pharynx width were more strongly correlated with the sound pressure level than with pitch.For the vowel /a/ loudness has an effect on articulation during singing which should be considered when articulatory vocal tract data are interpreted.

  8. BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey. VIII. Type 1 AGN with Massive Absorbing Columns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimizu, T. Taro; Davies, Richard I.; Koss, Michael; Ricci, Claudio; Lamperti, Isabella; Oh, Kyuseok; Schawinski, Kevin; Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Burtscher, Leonard; Genzel, Reinhard; Lin, Ming-yi; Lutz, Dieter; Rosario, David; Sturm, Eckhard; Tacconi, Linda

    2018-04-01

    We explore the relationship between X-ray absorption and optical obscuration within the BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS), which has been collecting and analyzing the optical and X-ray spectra for 641 hard X-ray selected (E > 14 keV) active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We use the deviation from a linear broad Hα-to-X-ray relationship as an estimate of the maximum optical obscuration toward the broad line region (BLR) and compare the A V to the hydrogen column densities ({N}{{H}}) found through systematic modeling of their X-ray spectra. We find that the inferred columns implied by A V toward the BLR are often orders of magnitude less than the columns measured toward the X-ray emitting region, indicating a small-scale origin for the X-ray absorbing gas. After removing 30% of Sy 1.9s that potentially have been misclassified due to outflows, we find that 86% (164/190) of the Type 1 population (Sy 1–1.9) are X-ray unabsorbed as expected based on a single obscuring structure. However, 14% (26/190), of which 70% (18/26) are classified as Sy 1.9, are X-ray absorbed, suggesting that the BLR itself is providing extra obscuration toward the X-ray corona. The fraction of X-ray absorbed Type 1 AGNs remains relatively constant with AGN luminosity and Eddington ratio, indicating a stable BLR covering fraction.

  9. From Radio with Love: An Overview of the Role of Radio Observations in Understanding High-Energy Emission from Active Galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ojha, Roopesh

    2012-01-01

    The gamma-ray satellite Fermi and the ground based TeV facilities MAGIC, VERITAS and HESS have ushered in a new era in the observation of high-energy emission from active galaxies. The energy budgets of these objects have a major contribution from gamma-rays and it is simply not possible to understand their physics without high-energy observations. Though the exact mechanisms for high-energy production in galaxies remains an open question, gamma-rays typically result from interactions between high-energy particles. Via different interactions these same particles can produce radio emission. Thus the non-thermal nature of gamma-ray emission practically guarantees that high-energy emitters are also radio loud. Aside from their obvious role as a component of multiwavelength analysis, radio observations provide two crucial elements essential to understanding the source structure and physical processes of high-energy emitters: very high timing resolution and very high spatial resolution. A brief overview of the unique role played by radio observations in unraveling the mysteries of the high energy Universe as presented here.

  10. Comparison of Multipole Stimulus Configurations With Respect to Loudness and Spread of Excitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vellinga, Dirk; Briaire, Jeroen Johannes; van Meenen, David Michael Paul; Frijns, Johannes Hubertus Maria

    Current spread is a substantial limitation of speech coding strategies in cochlear implants. Multipoles have the potential to reduce current spread and thus generate more discriminable pitch percepts. The difficulty with multipoles is reaching sufficient loudness. The primary goal was to compare the loudness characteristics and spread of excitation (SOE) of three types of phased array stimulation, a novel multipole, with three more conventional configurations. Fifteen postlingually deafened cochlear implant users performed psychophysical experiments addressing SOE, loudness scaling, loudness threshold, loudness balancing, and loudness discrimination. Partial tripolar stimulation (pTP, σ = 0.75), TP, phased array with 16 (PA16) electrodes, and restricted phased array with five (PA5) and three (PA3) electrodes was compared with a reference monopolar stimulus. Despite a similar loudness growth function, there were considerable differences in current expenditure. The most energy efficient multipole was the pTP, followed by PA16 and PA5/PA3. TP clearly stood out as the least efficient one. Although the electric dynamic range was larger with multipolar configurations, the number of discriminable steps in loudness was not significantly increased. The SOE experiment could not demonstrate any difference between the stimulation strategies. The loudness characteristics all five multipolar configurations tested are similar. Because of their higher energy efficiency, pTP and PA16 are the most favorable candidates for future testing in clinical speech coding strategies.

  11. Individual, contextual, and age-related acoustic variation in Simakobu (Simias concolor loud calls.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wendy M Erb

    Full Text Available Primate loud calls have the potential to encode information about the identity, arousal, age, or physical condition of the caller, even at long distances. In this study, we conducted an analysis of the acoustic features of the loud calls produced by a species of Asian colobine monkey (simakobu, Simias concolor. Adult male simakobu produce loud calls spontaneously and in response to loud sounds and other loud calls, which are audible more than 500 m. Individual differences in calling rates and durations exist, but it is unknown what these differences signal and which other acoustic features vary among individuals. We aimed to describe the structure and usage of calls and to examine acoustic features that vary within and among individuals. We determined the context of 318 loud calls and analyzed 170 loud calls recorded from 10 adult males at an undisturbed site, Pungut, Siberut Island, Indonesia. Most calls (53% followed the loud call of another male, 31% were spontaneous, and the remaining 16% followed a loud environmental disturbance. The fundamental frequency (F0 decreased while inter-unit intervals (IUI increased over the course of loud call bouts, possibly indicating caller fatigue. Discriminant function analysis indicated that calls were not well discriminated by context, but spontaneous calls had higher peak frequencies, suggesting a higher level of arousal. Individual calls were distinct and individuals were mainly discriminated by IUI, call duration, and F0. Loud calls of older males had shorter IUI and lower F0, while middle-aged males had the highest peak frequencies. Overall, we found that calls were individually distinct and may provide information about the age, stamina, and arousal of the calling male, and could thus be a way for males and females to assess competitors and mates from long distances.

  12. CHARACTERIZATION OF A SAMPLE OF INTERMEDIATE-TYPE AGNs. I. SPECTROSCOPIC PROPERTIES AND SERENDIPITOUS DISCOVERY OF NEW DUAL AGNs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Benitez, Erika; Cruz-Gonzalez, Irene; Martinez, Benoni; Jimenez-Bailon, Elena [Instituto de Astronomia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apdo. Postal 70-264, Mexico D.F. 04510 (Mexico); Mendez-Abreu, Jairo; Lopez-Martin, Luis [Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, E-38200 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Fuentes-Carrera, Isaura [Escuela Superior de Fisica y Matematicas, Instituto Politecnico Nacional (ESFM-IPN), U.P. Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Mexico D.F. 07730 (Mexico); Leon-Tavares, Jonathan [Aalto University Metsaehovi Radio Observatory, Metsaehovintie 114, FI-02540, Kylmaelae (Finland); Chavushyan, Vahram H., E-mail: erika@astro.unam.mx [Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica, Apdo. Postal 51-216, 72000 Puebla (Mexico)

    2013-01-20

    A sample of 10 nearby intermediate-type active galactic nuclei (AGNs) drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey is presented. The aim of this work is to provide estimations of the black hole (BH) mass for the sample galaxies from the dynamics of the broad-line region. For this purpose, a detailed spectroscopic analysis of the objects was done. Using Baldwin-Phillips-Terlevich diagnostic diagrams, we have carefully classified the objects as true intermediate-type AGNs and found that 80%{sup +7.2%} {sub -17.3%} are composite AGNs. The BH mass estimated for the sample is within 6.54 {+-} 0.16 < log M {sub BH} < 7.81 {+-} 0.14. Profile analysis shows that five objects (J120655.63+501737.1, J121607.08+504930.0, J141238.14+391836.5, J143031.18+524225.8, and J162952.88+242638.3) have narrow double-peaked emission lines in both the red (H{alpha}, [N II] {lambda}{lambda}6548,6583 and [S II] {lambda}{lambda}6716, 6731) and the blue (H{beta} and [O III] {lambda}{lambda}4959, 5007) regions of the spectra, with velocity differences ({Delta}V) between the double peaks within 114 km s{sup -1} < {Delta}V < 256 km s{sup -1}. Two of them, J121607.08+504930.0 and J141238.14+391836.5, are candidates for dual AGNs since their double-peaked emission lines are dominated by AGN activity. In searches of dual AGNs, type 1, type II, and intermediate-type AGNs should be carefully separated, due to the high serendipitous number of narrow double-peaked sources (50% {+-} 14.4%) found in our sample.

  13. Characterisation of a candidate dual AGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lena, D.; Panizo-Espinar, G.; Jonker, P. G.; Torres, M.; Heida, M.

    2018-05-01

    We present Chandra and optical observations of a candidate dual AGN discovered serendipitously while searching for recoiling black holes via a cross-correlation between the serendipitous XMM source catalog (2XMMi) and SDSS-DR7 galaxies with a separation no larger than ten times the sum of their Petrosian radii. The system has a stellar mass ratio M1/M2 ≈ 0.7. One of the galaxies (Source 1) shows clear evidence for AGN activity in the form of hard X-ray emission and optical emission-line diagnostics typical of AGN ionisation. The nucleus of the other galaxy (Source 2) has a soft X-ray spectrum, bluer colours, and optical emission line ratios dominated by stellar photoionisation with a "composite" signature, which might indicate the presence of a weak AGN. When plotted on a diagram with X-ray luminosity vs [OIII] luminosity both nuclei fall within the locus defined by local Seyfert galaxies. From the optical spectrum we estimate the electron densities finding n1 active nature of Source 1 can be established with confidence, whether the nucleus of Source 2 is active remains a matter of debate. Evidence that a faint AGN might reside in its nucleus is, however, tantalising.

  14. Why Do People Like Loud Sound? A Qualitative Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welch, David; Fremaux, Guy

    2017-08-11

    Many people choose to expose themselves to potentially dangerous sounds such as loud music, either via speakers, personal audio systems, or at clubs. The Conditioning, Adaptation and Acculturation to Loud Music (CAALM) Model has proposed a theoretical basis for this behaviour. To compare the model to data, we interviewed a group of people who were either regular nightclub-goers or who controlled the sound levels in nightclubs (bar managers, musicians, DJs, and sound engineers) about loud sound. Results showed four main themes relating to the enjoyment of loud sound: arousal/excitement, facilitation of socialisation, masking of both external sound and unwanted thoughts, and an emphasis and enhancement of personal identity. Furthermore, an interesting incidental finding was that sound levels appeared to increase gradually over the course of the evening until they plateaued at approximately 97 dBA Leq around midnight. Consideration of the data generated by the analysis revealed a complex of influential factors that support people in wanting exposure to loud sound. Findings were considered in terms of the CAALM Model and could be explained in terms of its principles. From a health promotion perspective, the Social Ecological Model was applied to consider how the themes identified might influence behaviour. They were shown to influence people on multiple levels, providing a powerful system which health promotion approaches struggle to address.

  15. Clustering Measurements of broad-line AGNs: Review and Future

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirko Krumpe

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Despite substantial effort, the precise physical processes that lead to the growth of super-massive black holes in the centers of galaxies are still not well understood. These phases of black hole growth are thought to be of key importance in understanding galaxy evolution. Forthcoming missions such as eROSITA, HETDEX, eBOSS, BigBOSS, LSST, and Pan-STARRS will compile by far the largest ever Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs catalogs which will allow us to measure the spatial distribution of AGNs in the universe with unprecedented accuracy. For the first time, AGN clustering measurements will reach a level of precision that will not only allow for an alternative approach to answering open questions in AGN and galaxy co-evolution but will open a new frontier, allowing us to precisely determine cosmological parameters. This paper reviews large-scale clustering measurements of broad line AGNs. We summarize how clustering is measured and which constraints can be derived from AGN clustering measurements, we discuss recent developments, and we briefly describe future projects that will deliver extremely large AGN samples which will enable AGN clustering measurements of unprecedented accuracy. In order to maximize the scientific return on the research fields of AGN and galaxy evolution and cosmology, we advise that the community develops a full understanding of the systematic uncertainties which will, in contrast to today’s measurement, be the dominant source of uncertainty.

  16. Effect of direction on loudness for wideband and reverberant sounds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sivonen, Ville Pekka; Ellermeier, Wolfgang

    2006-01-01

    The effect of incidence angle on loudness was investigated for wideband and reverberant sounds. In an adaptive procedure, five listeners matched the loudness of a sound coming from five incidence angles in the horizontal plane to that of the same sound with frontal incidence. The stimuli were...... presented to the listeners via individual binaural synthesis. The results confirm that loudness depends on sound incidence angle, as it does for narrow-band, anechoic sounds. The directional effects, however, were attenuated with the wideband and reverberant stimuli used in the present investigation....

  17. DISCOVERY OF A FLAT-SPECTRUM RADIO NUCLEUS IN NGC 3115

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wrobel, J. M. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box O, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States); Nyland, K., E-mail: jwrobel@nrao.edu, E-mail: knyland@nrao.edu [New Mexico Tech, Department of Physics, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States)

    2012-12-01

    The early-type galaxy NGC 3115, at a distance of 10.2 Mpc, hosts the nearest billion-solar-mass black hole. Wong et al. recently inferred a substantial Bondi accretion rate near the black hole. Bondi-like accretion is thought to fuel outflows, which can be traced through their radio emission. This paper reports the discovery of a radio nucleus in NGC 3115, with a diameter less than 0.''17 (8.4 pc), a luminosity at 8.5 GHz of 3.1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 35} erg s{sup -1}, and a flat spectrum ({alpha} = -0.23 {+-} 0.20, S{proportional_to}{nu}{sup {alpha}}). The radio source coincides with the galaxy's photocenter and candidate X-ray nucleus. The emission is radio loud, suggesting the presence of an outflow on scales less than 10 pc. On such scales, the Bondi accretion could be impeded by heating due to disruption of the outflow.

  18. HOT DUST OBSCURED GALAXIES WITH EXCESS BLUE LIGHT: DUAL AGN OR SINGLE AGN UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Assef, R. J.; Diaz-Santos, T. [Núcleo de Astronomía de la Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Diego Portales, Av. Ejército Libertador 441, Santiago (Chile); Walton, D. J.; Brightman, M. [Space Radiation Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Stern, D.; Eisenhardt, P. R. M.; Tsai, C.-W. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Mail Stop 169-236, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Alexander, D. [Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Bauer, F. [Departamento de Astronomía y Astrofísica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Casilla 306, Santiago 22 (Chile); Blain, A. W. [Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, 1 University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Finkelstein, S. L. [The University of Texas at Austin, 2515 Speedway, Stop C1400, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Hickox, R. C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, 6127 Wilder Laboratory, Hanover, NH 03755 (United States); Wu, J. W., E-mail: roberto.assef@mail.udp.cl [UCLA Astronomy, P.O. Box 951547, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547 (United States)

    2016-03-10

    Hot dust-obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) are a population of hyper-luminous infrared galaxies identified by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission from their very red mid-IR colors, and characterized by hot dust temperatures (T > 60 K). Several studies have shown clear evidence that the IR emission in these objects is powered by a highly dust-obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) that shows close to Compton-thick absorption at X-ray wavelengths. Thanks to the high AGN obscuration, the host galaxy is easily observable, and has UV/optical colors usually consistent with those of a normal galaxy. Here we discuss a sub-population of eight Hot DOGs that show enhanced rest-frame UV/optical emission. We discuss three scenarios that might explain the excess UV emission: (i) unobscured light leaked from the AGN by reflection over the dust or by partial coverage of the accretion disk; (ii) a second unobscured AGN in the system; or (iii) a luminous young starburst. X-ray observations can help discriminate between these scenarios. We study in detail the blue excess Hot DOG WISE J020446.13–050640.8, which was serendipitously observed by Chandra/ACIS-I for 174.5 ks. The X-ray spectrum is consistent with a single, hyper-luminous, highly absorbed AGN, and is strongly inconsistent with the presence of a secondary unobscured AGN. Based on this, we argue that the excess blue emission in this object is most likely either due to reflection or a co-eval starburst. We favor the reflection scenario as the unobscured star formation rate needed to power the UV/optical emission would be ≳1000 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}. Deep polarimetry observations could confirm the reflection hypothesis.

  19. HOT DUST OBSCURED GALAXIES WITH EXCESS BLUE LIGHT: DUAL AGN OR SINGLE AGN UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Assef, R. J.; Diaz-Santos, T.; Walton, D. J.; Brightman, M.; Stern, D.; Eisenhardt, P. R. M.; Tsai, C.-W.; Alexander, D.; Bauer, F.; Blain, A. W.; Finkelstein, S. L.; Hickox, R. C.; Wu, J. W.

    2016-01-01

    Hot dust-obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) are a population of hyper-luminous infrared galaxies identified by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission from their very red mid-IR colors, and characterized by hot dust temperatures (T > 60 K). Several studies have shown clear evidence that the IR emission in these objects is powered by a highly dust-obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) that shows close to Compton-thick absorption at X-ray wavelengths. Thanks to the high AGN obscuration, the host galaxy is easily observable, and has UV/optical colors usually consistent with those of a normal galaxy. Here we discuss a sub-population of eight Hot DOGs that show enhanced rest-frame UV/optical emission. We discuss three scenarios that might explain the excess UV emission: (i) unobscured light leaked from the AGN by reflection over the dust or by partial coverage of the accretion disk; (ii) a second unobscured AGN in the system; or (iii) a luminous young starburst. X-ray observations can help discriminate between these scenarios. We study in detail the blue excess Hot DOG WISE J020446.13–050640.8, which was serendipitously observed by Chandra/ACIS-I for 174.5 ks. The X-ray spectrum is consistent with a single, hyper-luminous, highly absorbed AGN, and is strongly inconsistent with the presence of a secondary unobscured AGN. Based on this, we argue that the excess blue emission in this object is most likely either due to reflection or a co-eval starburst. We favor the reflection scenario as the unobscured star formation rate needed to power the UV/optical emission would be ≳1000 M ⊙ yr −1 . Deep polarimetry observations could confirm the reflection hypothesis

  20. Star Formation of Merging Disk Galaxies with AGN Feedback Effects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Jongwon; Smith, Rory; Yi, Sukyoung K., E-mail: jw.park@yonsei.ac.kr [Department of Astronomy and Yonsei University Observatory, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722 (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-08-20

    Using a numerical hydrodynamics code, we perform various idealized galaxy merger simulations to study the star formation (SF) of two merging disk galaxies. Our simulations include gas accretion onto supermassive black holes and active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. By comparing AGN simulations with those without AGNs, we attempt to understand when the AGN feedback effect is significant. Using ∼70 simulations, we investigate SF with the AGN effect in mergers with a variety of mass ratios, inclinations, orbits, galaxy structures, and morphologies. Using these merger simulations with AGN feedback, we measure merger-driven SF using the burst efficiency parameter introduced by Cox et al. We confirm previous studies which demonstrated that, in galaxy mergers, AGN suppresses SF more efficiently than in isolated galaxies. However, we also find that the effect of AGNs on SF is larger in major than in minor mergers. In minor merger simulations with different primary bulge-to-total ratios, the effect of bulge fraction on the merger-driven SF decreases due to AGN feedback. We create models of Sa-, Sb-, and Sc-type galaxies and compare their SF properties while undergoing mergers. With the current AGN prescriptions, the difference in merger-driven SF is not as pronounced as in the recent observational study of Kaviraj. We discuss the implications of this discrepancy.

  1. Star Formation of Merging Disk Galaxies with AGN Feedback Effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jongwon; Smith, Rory; Yi, Sukyoung K.

    2017-01-01

    Using a numerical hydrodynamics code, we perform various idealized galaxy merger simulations to study the star formation (SF) of two merging disk galaxies. Our simulations include gas accretion onto supermassive black holes and active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. By comparing AGN simulations with those without AGNs, we attempt to understand when the AGN feedback effect is significant. Using ∼70 simulations, we investigate SF with the AGN effect in mergers with a variety of mass ratios, inclinations, orbits, galaxy structures, and morphologies. Using these merger simulations with AGN feedback, we measure merger-driven SF using the burst efficiency parameter introduced by Cox et al. We confirm previous studies which demonstrated that, in galaxy mergers, AGN suppresses SF more efficiently than in isolated galaxies. However, we also find that the effect of AGNs on SF is larger in major than in minor mergers. In minor merger simulations with different primary bulge-to-total ratios, the effect of bulge fraction on the merger-driven SF decreases due to AGN feedback. We create models of Sa-, Sb-, and Sc-type galaxies and compare their SF properties while undergoing mergers. With the current AGN prescriptions, the difference in merger-driven SF is not as pronounced as in the recent observational study of Kaviraj. We discuss the implications of this discrepancy.

  2. ALMA 0.1–0.2 arcsec resolution imaging of the NGC 1068 Nucleus: compact dense molecular gas emission at the putative AGN location

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Imanishi, Masatoshi [Subaru Telescope, 650 North A’ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); Nakanishi, Kouichiro [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Izumi, Takuma, E-mail: masa.imanishi@nao.ac.jp [Institute of Astronomy, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-0015 (Japan)

    2016-05-01

    We present the results of our ALMA Cycle 2 high angular resolution (0.″1–0.″2) observations of the nuclear region of the nearby well-studied type-2 active galactic nucleus (AGN), NGC 1068, at HCN J = 3–2 and HCO{sup +} J = 3–2 emission lines. For the first time, due to a higher angular resolution than previous studies, we clearly detected dense molecular gas emission at the putative AGN location, identified as a ∼1.1 mm (∼266 GHz) continuum emission peak, by separating this emission from brighter emission located at 0.″5–2.″0 on the eastern and western sides of the AGN. The estimated intrinsic molecular emission size and dense molecular mass, which are thought to be associated with the putative dusty molecular torus around an AGN, were ∼10 pc and ∼several × 10{sup 5} M {sub ⊙}, respectively. HCN-to-HCO{sup +} J = 3–2 flux ratios substantially higher than unity were found throughout the nuclear region of NGC 1068. The continuum emission displayed an elongated morphology along the direction of the radio jet located at the northern side of the AGN, as well as a weak spatially-resolved component at ∼2.″0 on the southwestern side of the AGN. The latter component most likely originated from star formation, with the estimated luminosity more than one order of magnitude lower than the luminosity of the central AGN. No vibrationally excited ( v {sub 2} = 1f) J = 3–2 emission lines were detected for HCN and HCO{sup +} across the field of view.

  3. Temporal integration of loudness in listeners with hearing losses of primarily cochlear origin

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buus, Søren; Florentine, Mary; Poulsen, Torben

    1999-01-01

    To investigate how hearing loss of primarily cochlear origin affects the loudness of brief tones, loudness matches between 5- and 200-ms tones were obtained as a function of level for 15 listeners with cochlear impairments and for seven age-matched controls. Three frequencies, usually 0.5, 1, and 4...... of temporal integration—defined as the level difference between equally loud short and long tones—varied nonmonotonically with level and was largest at moderate levels. No consistent effect of frequency was apparent. The impaired listeners varied widely, but most showed a clear effect of level on the amount...... of temporal integration. Overall, their results appear consistent with expectations based on knowledge of the general properties of their loudness-growth functions and the equal-loudness-ratio hypothesis, which states that the loudness ratio between equal-SPL long and brief tones is the same at all SPLs...

  4. Infrared Faint Radio Sources in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huynh, Minh T.

    2009-01-01

    Infrared-Faint Radio Sources (IFRSs) are a class of radio objects found in the Australia Telescope Large Area Survey (ATLAS) which have no observable counterpart in the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic Survey (SWIRE). The extended Chandra Deep Field South now has even deeper Spitzer imaging (3.6 to 70 micron) from a number of Legacy surveys. We report the detections of two IFRS sources in IRAC images. The non-detection of two other IFRSs allows us to constrain the source type. Detailed modeling of the SED of these objects shows that they are consistent with high redshift AGN (z > 2).

  5. Pitch and Loudness Tinnitus in Individuals with Presbycusis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seimetz, Bruna Macangnin; Teixeira, Adriane Ribeiro; Rosito, Leticia Petersen Schmidt; Flores, Leticia Sousa; Pappen, Carlos Henrique; Dall'igna, Celso

    2016-10-01

    Introduction  Tinnitus is a symptom that is often associated with presbycusis. Objective  This study aims to analyze the existence of association among hearing thresholds, pitch, and loudness of tinnitus in individuals with presbycusis, considering the gender variable. Methods  Cross-sectional, descriptive, and prospective study, whose sample consisted of individuals with tinnitus and diagnosis of presbycusis. For the evaluation, we performed anamnesis along with otoscopy, pure tone audiometry, and acuphenometry to analyze the psychoacoustic characteristics of tinnitus individuals. Results  The sample consisted of 49 subjects, with a mean age of 69.57 ± 6.53 years, who presented unilateral and bilateral tinnitus, therefore, a sample of 80 ears. In analyzing the results, as for acuphenometry, the loudness of tinnitus was more present at 0dB and the pitch was 6HKz and 8HKz. Regarding the analysis of the association between the frequency of greater hearing threshold and tinnitus pitch, no statistical significance ( p  = 0.862) was found. As for the association between the intensity of greater hearing threshold and tinnitus loudness, no statistical significance ( p  = 0.115) was found. Conclusion  There is no significant association between the hearing loss of patients with presbycusis and the pitch and loudness of tinnitus.

  6. Pitch and Loudness Tinnitus in Individuals with Presbycusis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seimetz, Bruna Macangnin

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Tinnitus is a symptom that is often associated with presbycusis. Objective This study aims to analyze the existence of association among hearing thresholds, pitch, and loudness of tinnitus in individuals with presbycusis, considering the gender variable. Methods Cross-sectional, descriptive, and prospective study, whose sample consisted of individuals with tinnitus and diagnosis of presbycusis. For the evaluation, we performed anamnesis along with otoscopy, pure tone audiometry, and acuphenometry to analyze the psychoacoustic characteristics of tinnitus individuals. Results The sample consisted of 49 subjects, with a mean age of 69.57 ± 6.53 years, who presented unilateral and bilateral tinnitus, therefore, a sample of 80 ears. In analyzing the results, as for acuphenometry, the loudness of tinnitus was more present at 0dB and the pitch was 6HKz and 8HKz. Regarding the analysis of the association between the frequency of greater hearing threshold and tinnitus pitch, no statistical significance (p = 0.862 was found. As for the association between the intensity of greater hearing threshold and tinnitus loudness, no statistical significance (p = 0.115 was found. Conclusion There is no significant association between the hearing loss of patients with presbycusis and the pitch and loudness of tinnitus.

  7. GREEN BANK TELESCOPE DETECTION OF POLARIZATION-DEPENDENT H I ABSORPTION AND H I OUTFLOWS IN LOCAL ULIRGs AND QUASARS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Teng, Stacy H. [Observational Cosmology Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Veilleux, Sylvain [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Baker, Andrew J., E-mail: stacy.h.teng@nasa.gov [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (United States)

    2013-03-10

    We present the results of a 21 cm H I survey of 27 local massive gas-rich late-stage mergers and merger remnants with the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope. These remnants were selected from the Quasar/ULIRG Evolution Study sample of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs; L{sub 8{sub -{sub 1000{sub {mu}m}}}} > 10{sup 12} L{sub Sun }) and quasars; our targets are all bolometrically dominated by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and sample the later phases of the proposed ULIRG-to-quasar evolutionary sequence. We find the prevalence of H I absorption (emission) to be 100% (29%) in ULIRGs with H I detections, 100% (88%) in FIR-strong quasars, and 63% (100%) in FIR-weak quasars. The absorption features are associated with powerful neutral outflows that change from being mainly driven by star formation in ULIRGs to being driven by the AGN in the quasars. These outflows have velocities that exceed 1500 km s{sup -1} in some cases. Unexpectedly, we find polarization-dependent H I absorption in 57% of our spectra (88% and 63% of the FIR-strong and FIR-weak quasars, respectively). We attribute this result to absorption of polarized continuum emission from these sources by foreground H I clouds. About 60% of the quasars displaying polarized spectra are radio-loud, far higher than the {approx}10% observed in the general AGN population. This discrepancy suggests that radio jets play an important role in shaping the environments in these galaxies. These systems may represent a transition phase in the evolution of gas-rich mergers into ''mature'' radio galaxies.

  8. Challenges in Finding AGNs in the Low Luminosity Regime

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satyapal, Shobita; Abel, Nick; Secrest, Nathan; Singh, Amrit; Ellison, Sara

    2016-08-01

    Low luminosity AGNs are an important component of the AGN population. They are often found in the lowest mass galaxies or galaxies that lack classical bulges, a demographic that places important constraints to models of supermassive black hole seed formation and merger-free models of AGN fueling. The detection of AGNs in this low luminosity regime is challenging both because star formation in the host galaxy can dominate the optical spectrum and gas and dust can obscure the central engine at both optical and X-ray wavelengths. Thus while mid-infrared color selection and X-ray observations at energies <10 keV are often powerful tools in uncovering optically unidentified AGNs at higher luminosities, this is not the case in the low luminosity regime. In this talk, I will review the effectiveness of uncovering AGNs in the low luminosity regime using multiwavength investigations, with a focus on infrared spectroscopic signatures.

  9. A UV to mid-IR study of AGN selection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Sun Mi; Kochanek, Christopher S. [Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Assef, Roberto [Núcleo de Astronomía de la Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Diego Portales, Av. Ejército Libertador 441, Santiago (Chile); Brown, Michael J. I. [School of Physics, Monash University, Clayton, Vic 3800 (Australia); Stern, Daniel [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Mail Stop 169-221, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Jannuzi, Buell T. [Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Gonzalez, Anthony H. [Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Hickox, Ryan C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, 6127 Wilder Laboratory, Hanover, NH 03755 (United States); Moustakas, John [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Siena College, 515 Loudon Road, Loudonville, NY 12211 (United States)

    2014-07-20

    We classify the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 431,038 sources in the 9 deg{sup 2} Boötes field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey (NDWFS). There are up to 17 bands of data available per source, including ultraviolet (GALEX), optical (NDWFS), near-IR (NEWFIRM), and mid-infrared (IRAC and MIPS) data, as well as spectroscopic redshifts for ∼20,000 objects, primarily from the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey. We fit galaxy, active galactic nucleus (AGN), stellar, and brown dwarf templates to the observed SEDs, which yield spectral classes for the Galactic sources and photometric redshifts and galaxy/AGN luminosities for the extragalactic sources. The photometric redshift precision of the galaxy and AGN samples are σ/(1 + z) = 0.040 and σ/(1 + z) = 0.169, respectively, with the worst 5% outliers excluded. On the basis of the χ{sub ν}{sup 2} of the SED fit for each SED model, we are able to distinguish between Galactic and extragalactic sources for sources brighter than I = 23.5 mag. We compare the SED fits for a galaxy-only model and a galaxy-AGN model. Using known X-ray and spectroscopic AGN samples, we confirm that SED fitting can be successfully used as a method to identify large populations of AGNs, including spatially resolved AGNs with significant contributions from the host galaxy and objects with the emission line ratios of 'composite' spectra. We also use our results to compare with the X-ray, mid-IR, optical color, and emission line ratio selection techniques. For an F-ratio threshold of F > 10, we find 16,266 AGN candidates brighter than I = 23.5 mag and a surface density of ∼1900 AGN deg{sup –2}.

  10. VERY LONG BASELINE ARRAY IMAGING OF PARSEC-SCALE RADIO EMISSIONS IN NEARBY RADIO-QUIET NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Doi, Akihiro [The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuou-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210 (Japan); Asada, Keiichi; Inoue, Makoto [Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Fujisawa, Kenta [The Research Institute of Time Studies, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi 753-8511 (Japan); Nagai, Hiroshi; Hagiwara, Yoshiaki [National Astronomical Observatory, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Wajima, Kiyoaki, E-mail: akihiro.doi@vsop.isas.jaxa.jp [Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200030 (China)

    2013-03-01

    We conducted Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of seven nearby narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies at 1.7 GHz ({lambda}18 cm) with milliarcsecond resolution. This is the first systematic very long baseline interferometry study focusing on the central parsec-scale regions of radio-quiet NLS1s. Five of the seven were detected at a brightness temperature of {approx}> 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 6} K and contain radio cores with high brightness temperatures of >6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 7} K, indicating a nonthermal process driven by jet-producing central engines as in radio-loud NLS1s and other active galactic nucleus classes. VLBA images of MRK 1239, MRK 705, and MRK 766 exhibit parsec-scale jets with clear linear structures. A large portion of the radio power comes from diffuse emission components that are distributed within the nuclear regions ({approx}< 300 pc), which is a common characteristic throughout the observed NLS1s. Jet kinetic powers limited by the Eddington limit may be insufficient to allow the jets to escape to kiloparsec scales for these radio-quiet NLS1s with low-mass black holes of {approx}< 10{sup 7} M {sub Sun }.

  11. Examining the validity of numerical ratios in loudness fractionation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zimmer, Karin

    2005-01-01

    was to adjust the loudness of a 1-kHz tone so that it reached a certain prespecified fraction of the loudness of a reference tone. The results of the first experiment suggest that the listeners were indeed able to make adjustments on a ratio scale level. It was not possible, however, to interpret the nominal...

  12. Tracking Galaxy Evolution Through Low-Frequency Radio Continuum Observations using SKA and Citizen-Science Research using Multi-Wavelength Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hota, Ananda; Konar, C.; Stalin, C. S.; Vaddi, Sravani; Mohanty, Pradeepta K.; Dabhade, Pratik; Dharmik Bhoga, Sai Arun; Rajoria, Megha; Sethi, Sagar

    2016-12-01

    We present a brief review of progress in the understanding of general spiral and elliptical galaxies, through merger, star formation and AGN activities. With reference to case studies performed with the GMRT, we highlight the unique aspects of studying galaxies in the radio wavelengths where powerful quasars and bright radio galaxies are traditionally the dominating subjects. Though AGN or quasar activity is extremely energetic, it is extremely short-lived. This justify focussing on transitional galaxies to find relic-evidences of the immediate past AGN-feedback which decide the future course of evolution of a galaxy. Relic radio lobes can be best detected in low frequency observations with the GMRT, LOFAR and in future SKA. The age of these relic radio plasma can be as old as a few hundred Myr. There is a huge gap between this and what is found in optical bands. The very first relic-evidences of a past quasar activity (Hanny's Voorwerp) was discovered in 2007 by a Galaxy Zoo citizen-scientist, a school teacher, in the optical bands. This relic is around a few tens of thousand years old. More discoveries needed to match these time-scales with star formation time-scales in AGN host galaxies to better understand black hole galaxy co-evolution process via feedback-driven quenching of star formation. It is now well-accepted that discovery and characterization of such faint fuzzy relic features can be more efficiently done by human eye than a machine. Radio interferometry images are more complicated than optical and need the citizen-scientists to be trained. RAD@home, the only Indian citizen-science research project in astronomy, analysing TIFR GMRT Sky Survey (TGSS) 150 MHz data and observing from the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT), was launched in April 2013. Unique, zero-infrastructure zero-funded design of RAD@home as a collaboratory of 69 trained e-astronomers is briefly described. Some of the new-found objects like episodic radio galaxies, radio-jet and

  13. High resolution radio observations of nuclear and circumnuclear regions of luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alberdi, A; Perez-Torres, M A [Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (IAA, CSIC), PO Box 3004, 18080-Granada (Spain); Colina, L [Instituto de Estructura de la Materia - IEM, CSIC, C, Serrano 115, 28005 Madrid (Spain); Torrelles, J M [Instituto de Ciencias del Espacio (ICE, CSIC) and IEEC, Gran Capita 2-4, 08034 Barcelona (Spain)], E-mail: antxon@iaa.es, E-mail: torres@iaa.es, E-mail: colina@damir.iem.csic.es, E-mail: torrelle@ieec.fcr.es

    2008-10-15

    High-resolution radio observations of the nuclear region of Luminous and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs) have shown that its radio structure consists of a compact high surface-brightness central radio source immersed in a diffuse low brightness circumnuclear halo. While the central component could be associated with an AGN or compact star-forming regions where radio supernovae are exploding, it is well known that the circumnuclear regions host bursts of star-formation. The studies of radio supernovae can provide essential information about stellar evolution and CSM/ISM properties in regions hidden by dust at optical and IR wavelengths. In this contribution, we show results from radio interferometric observations from NGC 7469, IRAS 18293-3413 and IRAS 17138-1017 where three extremely bright radio supernovae have been found. High-resolution radio observations of these and other LIRGs would allow us to determine the core-collapse supernova rate in them as well as their star-formation rate.

  14. Delayed or No Feedback? Gas Outflows in Type 2 AGNs. III

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Woo, Jong-Hak; Son, Donghoon; Bae, Hyun-Jin, E-mail: woo@astro.snu.ac.kr, E-mail: hjbae@galaxy.yonsei.ac.kr [Astronomy Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-04-20

    We present gas kinematics based on the [O iii] λ 5007 line and their connection to galaxy gravitational potential, active galactic nucleus (AGN) energetics, and star formation, using a large sample of ∼110,000 AGNs and star-forming (SF) galaxies at z < 0.3. Gas and stellar velocity dispersions are comparable to each other in SF galaxies, indicating that the ionized gas kinematics can be accounted by the gravitational potential of host galaxies. In contrast, AGNs clearly show non-gravitational kinematics, which is comparable to or stronger than the virial motion caused by the gravitational potential. The [O iii] velocity–velocity dispersion (VVD) diagram dramatically expands toward high values as a function of AGN luminosity, implying that the outflows are AGN-driven, while SF galaxies do not show such a trend. We find that the fraction of AGNs with a signature of outflow kinematics, steeply increases with AGN luminosity and Eddington ratio. In particular, the majority of luminous AGNs presents strong non-gravitational kinematics in the [O iii] profile. AGNs with strong outflow signatures show on average similar specific star formation rates (sSFRs) to those of star-forming galaxies. In contrast, AGNs with weak or no outflows have an order of magnitude lower sSFRs, suggesting that AGNs with current strong outflows do now show any negative AGN feedback and that it may take dynamical time to impact on star formation over galactic scales.

  15. Impression Management Agnes Monica Melalui Akun Instagram (@Agnezmo)

    OpenAIRE

    Alim, Chelsea Amanda

    2014-01-01

    Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menganalisa penggunaan taktik manajemen kesan yang dilakukan Agnes Monica melalui akun Instagram (@agnezmo). Agnes Monica sebagai seseorang yang berpengaruh, selalu menjadi bahan perbincangan publik, dan perhatian media sosial, memiliki kesan yang baik, termasuk melalui Instagram. Peneliti menggunakan metode analisis isi kuantitatif untuk menganalisa 45 post foto Instagram Agnes Monica, yang ada pada tanggal 1 Februari 2014 - 1 April 2014. Hasil penelitian ini ...

  16. A High Definition View of AGN Feedback: Chandra Imaging of Nearby Seyfert Galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Junfeng; Fabbiano, G.; Risaliti, G.; Elvis, M.; Karovska, M.; Zezas, A.; Mundell, C. G.

    2010-03-01

    To improve the physics of AGN feedback, it is crucial to evaluate the true role of outflows on galaxy evolution observationally. I will present new results from Chandra spectral imaging of nearby Seyfert galaxies, which offer unique opportunities to examine feedback in action in much greater detail than at high redshift. Exploiting Chandra's highest possible resolution, we are able to study structures in NGC 4151 on spatial scales of 0.5 arcsec (30 pc), showing an extended X-ray morphology overall consistent with the optical NLR. We find that most of the NLR clouds in NGC 4151 have [OIII] to soft X-ray ratio consistent with the values observed in NLRs of some Seyfert 2 galaxies, which indicates a uniform ionization parameter even at large radii. We examine various X-ray emission mechanisms of the radio jet and consider thermal emission from interaction between radio outflow and the NLR clouds the most probable origin for the X-ray emission associated with the jet.

  17. X-ray evidence for ultra-fast outflows in AGNs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tombesi, Francesco; Sambruna, Rita; Braito, Valentina; Reeves, James; Reynolds, Christopher; Cappi, Massimo

    2012-07-01

    X-ray evidence for massive, highly ionized, ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) has been recently reported in a number of AGNs through the detection of blue-shifted Fe XXV/XXVI absorption lines. We present the results of a comprehensive spectral analysis of a large sample of 42 local Seyferts and 5 radio galaxies observed with XMM-Newton and Suzaku. We assessed the global detection significance of the absorption lines and performed a detailed photo-ionization modeling. We find that UFOs are common phenomena, being present in >40% of the sources. Their outflow velocity distribution is in the range ˜0.03--0.3c, with mean value of ˜0.14c. The ionization parameter is very high, in the range logξ˜3--6 erg~s^{-1}~cm, and the associated column densities are also large, in the range ˜10^{22}--10^{24} cm^{-2}. Their location is constrained at ˜0.0003--0.03pc (˜10^2--10^4 r_s) from the central black hole, consistent with what is expected for accretion disk winds/outflows. The mass outflow rates are in the interval ˜0.01--1M_{⊙}~yr^{-1} and the associated mechanical power is high, in the range ˜10^{43}--10^{45} erg/s. Therefore, UFOs are capable to provide a significant contribution to the AGN cosmological feedback and their study can provide important clues on the connection between accretion disks, winds and jets.

  18. Subjective difficulties in young people related to extensive loud music listening

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Budimčić Milenko

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. For human ear, noise represents every undesirable and valueless sound. In disco clubs, as in some other places with loud music mostly attended by young people, the level of noise sometimes attains over 100 dB. As reported by numerous studies, a high noise level could induce subjective difficulties (ear buzzing, audition loss, vertigo and palpitations, anxiety, high blood pressure, decreased concentration, lowered memory storing. Objective. Assessment of subjective difficulties occurring in young people when staying in places with a high noise level (cafes, disco clubs, rock concerts, which can produce health problems, due to loud music, in association with demographic data, addictions and personal life style data. One of the goals is to find factors leading to subjective difficulties, which would be objectively studied in the second stage of the research and marked as early predictors of possible health problems. Methods. The study was conducted among 780 students of the Higher Healthcare School of Professional Studied in Belgrade. We used a questionnaire with 20 questions, divided into four categories: demographic data, case-history data, subjective problems and addictions of the subjects. In the statistical data processing we used the methods of descriptive and exploratory analysis, chi-square tests, correlation tests and Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio. Results. After listening loud music, 54.0% of examined subjects felt ear buzzing, and 4.6% had hearing damage. The habit of visiting places with loud music, mostly once a week in duration of 2-3 hours per visit had 80.4% of subjects. The presence of subjective complaints after listening of loud music was in association with loud music listening and disco clubs visits. The major reasons of the present subjective difficulties could be predicated by listening of loud music and club visits (r=0.918 and r=0.857. A relative risk for subjective difficulties presentation was 1.599. Conclusion

  19. [Subjective difficulties in young people related to extensive loud music listening].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Budimcić, Milenko; Ignatović, Snezana; Zivić, Ljubica

    2010-01-01

    For human ear, noise represents every undesirable and valueless sound. In disco clubs, as in some other places with loud music mostly attended by young people, the level of noise sometimes attains over 100 dB. As reported by numerous studies, a high noise level could induce subjective difficulties (ear buzzing, audition loss, vertigo and palpitations, anxiety, high blood pressure, decreased concentration, lowered memory storing). Assessment of subjective difficulties occurring in young people when staying in places with a high noise level (cafes, disco clubs, rock concerts), which can produce health problems, due to loud music, in association with demographic data, addictions and personal life style data. One of the goals is to find factors leading to subjective difficulties, which would be objectively studied in the second stage of the research and marked as early predictors of possible health problems. The study was conducted among 780 students of the Higher Healthcare School of Professional Studied in Belgrade. We used a questionnaire with 20 questions, divided into four categories: demographic data, case-history data, subjective problems and addictions of the subjects. In the statistical data processing we used the methods of descriptive and exploratory analysis, chi-square tests, correlation tests and Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio. After listening loud music, 54.0% of examined subjects felt ear buzzing, and 4.6% had hearing damage. The habit of visiting places with loud music, mostly once a week in duration of 2-3 hours per visit had 80.4% of subjects. The presence of subjective complaints after listening of loud music was in association with loud music listening and disco clubs visits.The major reasons of the present subjective difficulties could be predicated by listening of loud music and club visits (r = 0.918 and r = 0.857). A relative risk for subjective difficulties presentation was 1.599. According to the results of our study, over half of children

  20. Extended Radio Emission in MOJAVE Blazars: Challenges to Unification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kharb, P.; Lister, M. L.; Cooper, N. J.

    2010-02-01

    We present the results of a study on the kiloparsec-scale radio emission in the complete flux density limited MOJAVE sample, comprising 135 radio-loud active galactic nuclei. New 1.4 GHz Very Large Array (VLA) radio images of six quasars and previously unpublished images of 21 blazars are presented, along with an analysis of the high-resolution (VLA A-array) 1.4 GHz emission for the entire sample. While extended emission is detected in the majority of the sources, about 7% of the sources exhibit only radio core emission. We expect more sensitive radio observations, however, to detect faint emission in these sources, as we have detected in the erstwhile "core-only" source, 1548+056. The kiloparsec-scale radio morphology varies widely across the sample. Many BL Lac objects exhibit extended radio power and kiloparsec-scale morphology typical of powerful FRII jets, while a substantial number of quasars possess radio powers intermediate between FRIs and FRIIs. This poses challenges to the simple radio-loud unified scheme, which links BL Lac objects to FRIs and quasars to FRIIs. We find a significant correlation between extended radio emission and parsec-scale jet speeds: the more radio powerful sources possess faster jets. This indicates that the 1.4 GHz (or low-frequency) radio emission is indeed related to jet kinetic power. Various properties such as extended radio power and apparent parsec-scale jet speeds vary smoothly between different blazar subclasses, suggesting that, at least in terms of radio jet properties, the distinction between quasars and BL Lac objects, at an emission-line equivalent width of 5 Å, is essentially an arbitrary one. While the two blazar subclasses display a smooth continuation in properties, they often reveal differences in the correlation test results when considered separately. This can be understood if, unlike quasars, BL Lac objects do not constitute a homogeneous population, but rather include both FRI and FRII radio galaxies for

  1. EXTENDED RADIO EMISSION IN MOJAVE BLAZARS: CHALLENGES TO UNIFICATION

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kharb, P.; Lister, M. L.; Cooper, N. J.

    2010-01-01

    We present the results of a study on the kiloparsec-scale radio emission in the complete flux density limited MOJAVE sample, comprising 135 radio-loud active galactic nuclei. New 1.4 GHz Very Large Array (VLA) radio images of six quasars and previously unpublished images of 21 blazars are presented, along with an analysis of the high-resolution (VLA A-array) 1.4 GHz emission for the entire sample. While extended emission is detected in the majority of the sources, about 7% of the sources exhibit only radio core emission. We expect more sensitive radio observations, however, to detect faint emission in these sources, as we have detected in the erstwhile 'core-only' source, 1548+056. The kiloparsec-scale radio morphology varies widely across the sample. Many BL Lac objects exhibit extended radio power and kiloparsec-scale morphology typical of powerful FRII jets, while a substantial number of quasars possess radio powers intermediate between FRIs and FRIIs. This poses challenges to the simple radio-loud unified scheme, which links BL Lac objects to FRIs and quasars to FRIIs. We find a significant correlation between extended radio emission and parsec-scale jet speeds: the more radio powerful sources possess faster jets. This indicates that the 1.4 GHz (or low-frequency) radio emission is indeed related to jet kinetic power. Various properties such as extended radio power and apparent parsec-scale jet speeds vary smoothly between different blazar subclasses, suggesting that, at least in terms of radio jet properties, the distinction between quasars and BL Lac objects, at an emission-line equivalent width of 5 A, is essentially an arbitrary one. While the two blazar subclasses display a smooth continuation in properties, they often reveal differences in the correlation test results when considered separately. This can be understood if, unlike quasars, BL Lac objects do not constitute a homogeneous population, but rather include both FRI and FRII radio galaxies for

  2. Search for AGN neutrinos with the Soudan 2 detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DeMuth, D.M.

    1997-05-01

    Several authors have presented models for neutrino production from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) that allow for the possibility of AGN neutrinos outnumbering the atmospheric neutrino flux for energies in excess of 30 TeV. Preliminary results from a search for high energy neutrinos from AGN using the underground Soudan 2 Detector are presented

  3. Local Mechanisms for Loud Sound-Enhanced Aminoglycoside Entry into Outer Hair Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongzhe eLi

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Loud sound exposure exacerbates aminoglycoside ototoxicity, increasing the risk of permanent hearing loss and degrading the quality of life in affected individuals. We previously reported that loud sound exposure induces temporary threshold shifts (TTS and enhances uptake of aminoglycosides, like gentamicin, by cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs. Here, we explore mechanisms by which loud sound exposure and TTS could increase aminoglycoside uptake by OHCs that may underlie this form of ototoxic synergy.Mice were exposed to loud sound levels to induce TTS, and received fluorescently-tagged gentamicin (GTTR for 30 minutes prior to fixation. The degree of TTS was assessed by comparing auditory brainstem responses before and after loud sound exposure. The number of tip links, which gate the GTTR-permeant mechanoelectrical transducer (MET channels, was determined in OHC bundles, with or without exposure to loud sound, using scanning electron microscopy.We found wide-band noise (WBN levels that induce TTS also enhance OHC uptake of GTTR compared to OHCs in control cochleae. In cochlear regions with TTS, the increase in OHC uptake of GTTR was significantly greater than in adjacent pillar cells. In control mice, we identified stereociliary tip links at ~50% of potential positions in OHC bundles. However, the number of OHC tip links was significantly reduced in mice that received WBN at levels capable of inducing TTS.These data suggest that GTTR uptake by OHCs during TTS occurs by increased permeation of surviving, mechanically-gated MET channels, and/or non-MET aminoglycoside-permeant channels activated following loud sound exposure. Loss of tip links would hyperpolarize hair cells and potentially increase drug uptake via aminoglycoside-permeant channels expressed by hair cells. The effect of TTS on aminoglycoside-permeant channel kinetics will shed new light on the mechanisms of loud sound-enhanced aminoglycoside uptake, and consequently on ototoxic

  4. Loudness of complex sounds as a function of the standard stimulus and the number of components

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Florentine, Mary; Buus, Søren; Bonding, Per

    1978-01-01

    The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine if the measured loudness level of a signal depends on the standard stimulus used and to measure loudness as a function of the number of components in a wide-band signal. The stimuli were a pure tone, tone complexes with frequency separations...... of 231 and 1592 Hz, and noise bands with widths of 220 and 1592 Hz. The center frequency was 1 kHz and the loudness level was approximately 65 phons. Loudness matches between all combinations of stimuli showed that the measured loudness of the sounds did not depend on the standard stimulus used...... and the measured loudness level of a wide-band sound increased as a function of the number of components. Individual observers were consistent in their loudness estimations; the greatest source of variability was among subjects. Additional measurements indicated that the rate at which loudness increased beyond...

  5. Multi-Frequency Databases for AGN Investigation—Results and Perspectives

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    La Mura, Giovanni [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Padua (Italy); Berton, Marco [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Padua (Italy); Astronomical Observatory of Brera, National Institute for Astrophysics, Milan (Italy); Chen, Sina; Ciroi, Stefano [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Padua (Italy); Congiu, Enrico [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Padua (Italy); Astronomical Observatory of Brera, National Institute for Astrophysics, Milan (Italy); Cracco, Valentina; Frezzato, Michele; Rafanelli, Piero, E-mail: giovanni.lamura@unipd.it [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Padua (Italy)

    2017-10-17

    Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) are characterized by emission of radiation over more than 10 orders of magnitude in frequency. Therefore, the execution of extensive surveys of the sky, with different types of detectors, is providing the attractive possibility to identify and to investigate the properties of AGNs on very large statistical samples. Thanks to the large spectroscopic surveys that allow detailed investigation of many of these sources, we have the opportunity to place new constraints on the nature and evolution of AGNs and to investigate their relations with the host systems. In this contribution we present the results that can be obtained by using a new interactive catalog that we developed to investigate the range of AGN spectral energy distributions (SEDs). We present simple SED models based on data collected in the catalog and discuss their relations with optical spectra obtained by follow up observations. We compare our findings with the expectations based on the AGN Unification Model, and we discuss the perspectives of multi-wavelength approaches to address AGN related processes such as black hole accretion and acceleration of relativistic jets.

  6. Multiwavelength observations of Active Galactic Nuclei from the radio to the hard X-rays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beuchert, Tobias

    2017-07-01

    Active Galaxies form a peculiar type of galaxies. Their cores, the so-called "Active Galactic Nuclei" (AGN), are the most persistent luminous objects in the universe. Accretion of several solar masses per year onto black holes of Millions to Billions of solar masses drive the immense energy output of these systems, which can exceed that of the entire galaxy. The compact energy source, however, only measures about one over a Billion times that of the entire galaxy. Subject of my thesis are observations of the two main channels of energy release of selected AGN systems, both of which are encompassed by profound and yet unanswered questions. These channels are on the one hand the pronounced X-ray emission of the hot and compact accreting environment in close vicinity of the black hole, and on the other hand the radio synchrotron emission of magnetically collimated jets that are fed by portions of the accreted matter. These jets also function as effective accelerators and drive the injected matter deep into the intergalactic medium. As the circumnuclear environment of AGN is too compact to be spatially resolved in the X-rays, I show how X-ray spectroscopy can be used to: (1) understand the effects of strong gravity to trace the geometry and physics of the X-ray source and (2) more consistently quantify matter that surrounds and dynamically absorbs our direct line of sight towards the X-ray source. Second, I unveil the valuable information contained in the polarized radio light being emitted from magnetized jet outflows. In contrast to the X-ray emitting region, I am able to spatially resolve the inner parts of the jet of a prominent galaxy with help of the Very Long Baseline Array, a large network of radio telescopes. The resulting polarization maps turn out to be exceptionally promising in answering fundamental questions related to jet physics.

  7. WHAT GOVERNS THE BULK VELOCITY OF THE JET COMPONENTS IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chai Bo; Cao Xinwu; Gu Minfeng

    2012-01-01

    We use a sample of radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with measured black hole masses to explore the jet formation mechanisms in these sources. Based on Königl's inhomogeneous jet model, the jet parameters, such as the bulk motion Lorentz factor, magnetic field strength, and electron density in the jet, can be estimated with the very long baseline interferometry and X-ray data.. We find a significant correlation between black hole mass and the bulk Lorentz factor of the jet components for this sample, while no significant correlation is present between the bulk Lorentz factor and the Eddington ratio. The massive black holes will be spun up through accretion, as the black holes acquire mass and angular momentum simultaneously through accretion. Recent investigation indeed suggested that most supermassive black holes in elliptical galaxies have on average higher spins than the black holes in spiral galaxies, where random, small accretion episodes (e.g., tidally disrupted stars, accretion of molecular clouds) might have played a more important role. If this is true, then the correlation between black hole mass and the bulk Lorentz factor of the jet components found in this work implies that the motion velocity of the jet components is probably governed by the black hole spin. No correlation is found between the magnetic field strength at 10R S (R S = 2GM/c 2 is the Schwarzschild radius) in the jets and the bulk Lorentz factor of the jet components for this sample. This is consistent with the black hole spin scenario, i.e., the faster moving jets are magnetically accelerated by the magnetic fields threading the horizon of more rapidly rotating black holes. The results imply that the Blandford-Znajek mechanism may dominate over the Blandford-Payne mechanism for the jet acceleration, at least in these radio-loud AGNs.

  8. LOW-MASS AGNs AND THEIR RELATION TO THE FUNDAMENTAL PLANE OF BLACK HOLE ACCRETION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gültekin, Kayhan; King, Ashley L.; Miller, Jon M. [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Cackett, Edward M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Wayne State University, 666 West Hancock Street, Detroit, MI 48201 (United States); Pinkney, Jason, E-mail: kayhan@umich.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio Northern University, 525 S. Main St., Ada, OH 45810 (United States)

    2014-06-20

    We put active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with low-mass black holes on the fundamental plane of black hole accretion—the plane that relates X-ray emission, radio emission, and mass of an accreting black hole—to test whether or not the relation is universal for both stellar-mass and supermassive black holes. We use new Chandra X-ray and Very Large Array radio observations of a sample of black holes with masses less than 10{sup 6.3} M {sub ☉}, which have the best leverage for determining whether supermassive black holes and stellar-mass black holes belong on the same plane. Our results suggest that the two different classes of black holes both belong on the same relation. These results allow us to conclude that the fundamental plane is suitable for use in estimating supermassive black hole masses smaller than ∼10{sup 7} M {sub ☉}, in testing for intermediate-mass black holes, and in estimating masses at high accretion rates.

  9. Towards A Complete Census of the Compton-thick AGN population and the NH Distribution of AGN in the Local Universe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annuar, A.

    2015-09-01

    We present updated results from an ongoing project to establish the most unbiased census of the Compton- thick active galactic nucleus (CTAGN) population and the intrinsic column density (NH) distribution of the overall AGN population in the local universe, using a sample of mid-infrared (mid-IR) selected AGN within 15 Mpc. We find that 20% of the AGN in the sample are bona-fide CTAGN based upon hard X-ray studies (E > 10 keV). More candidates are then selected using multiwavelength techniques, i.e. mid-IR:X-ray and optical [OIII]5007:X-ray flux ratios. Based on these analyses along with evidence from previous literature, we initially find a further 25% of potential candidates. We then observed two of these candidates, NGC 5643 and NGC 3486, using NuSTAR and is able to confirm the former as a CTAGN and rule out the latter as an obscured AGN. This constrains the total CTAGN population in the sample to 25-40%, though it could potentially be as high as 65% accounting for those that still lack data. Finally, we use these results to estimate the intrinsic NH distribution of the local AGN population. Two more of our CTAGN candidates are scheduled to be observed by NuSTAR, bringing the completeness of hard X-ray energy data of the sample to 65%. This work provides a well-defined local benchmark for AGN unification studies.

  10. Evaluating the loudness of phantom auditory perception (tinnitus) in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jastreboff, P J; Brennan, J F

    1994-01-01

    Using our behavioral paradigm for evaluating tinnitus, the loudness of salicylate-induced tinnitus was evaluated in 144 rats by comparing their behavioral responses induced by different doses of salicylate to those induced by different intensities of a continuous reference tone mimicking tinnitus. Group differences in resistance to extinction were linearly related to salicylate dose and, at moderate intensities, to the reference tone as well. Comparison of regression equations for salicylate versus tone effects permitted estimation of the loudness of salicylate-induced tinnitus. These results extend the animal model of tinnitus and provide evidence that the loudness of phantom auditory perception is expressed through observable behavior, can be evaluated, and its changes detected.

  11. A transient, flat spectrum radio pulsar near the Galactic Centre

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dexter, J.; Degenaar, N.; Kerr, M.; Deller, A.; Deneva, J.; Lazarus, P.; Kramer, M.; Champion, D.; Karuppusamy, R.

    2017-06-01

    Recent studies have shown possible connections between highly magnetized neutron stars ('magnetars'), whose X-ray emission is too bright to be powered by rotational energy, and ordinary radio pulsars. In addition to the magnetar SGR J1745-2900, one of the radio pulsars in the Galactic Centre (GC) region, PSR J1746-2850, had timing properties implying a large magnetic field strength and young age, as well as a flat spectrum. All characteristics are similar to those of rare, transient, radio-loud magnetars. Using several deep non-detections from the literature and two new detections, we show that this pulsar is also transient in the radio. Both the flat spectrum and large amplitude variability are inconsistent with the light curves and spectral indices of three radio pulsars with high magnetic field strengths. We further use frequent, deep archival imaging observations of the GC in the past 15 yr to rule out a possible X-ray outburst with a luminosity exceeding the rotational spin-down rate. This source, either a transient magnetar without any detected X-ray counterpart or a young, strongly magnetized radio pulsar producing magnetar-like radio emission, further blurs the line between the two categories. We discuss the implications of this object for the radio emission mechanism in magnetars and for star and compact object formation in the GC.

  12. Radio jets in NGC 4151: where eMERLIN meets HST

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, D. R. A.; McHardy, I. M.; Baldi, R. D.; Beswick, R. J.; Argo, M. K.; Dullo, B. T.; Knapen, J. H.; Brinks, E.; Fenech, D. M.; Mundell, C. G.; Muxlow, T. W. B.; Panessa, F.; Rampadarath, H.; Westcott, J.

    2017-12-01

    We present high-sensitivity eMERLIN radio images of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 at 1.51 GHz. We compare the new eMERLIN images to those from archival MERLIN observations in 1993 to determine the change in jet morphology in the 22 yr between observations. We report an increase by almost a factor of 2 in the peak flux density of the central core component, C4, thought to host the black hole, but a probable decrease in some other components, possibly due to adiabatic expansion. The core flux increase indicates an active galactic nucleus (AGN) that is currently active and feeding the jet. We detect no significant motion in 22 yr between C4 and the component C3, which is unresolved in the eMERLIN image. We present a spectral index image made within the 512 MHz band of the 1.51 GHz observations. The spectrum of the core, C4, is flatter than that of other components further out in the jet. We use HST emission-line images (H α, [O III] and [O II]) to study the connection between the jet and the emission-line region. Based on the changing emission-line ratios away from the core and comparison with the eMERLIN radio jet, we conclude that photoionization from the central AGN is responsible for the observed emission-line properties further than 4 arcsec (360 pc) from the core, C4. Within this region, a body of evidence (radio-line co-spatiality, low [O III]/H α and estimated fast shocks) suggests additional ionization from the jet.

  13. Linear Polarization Properties of Parsec-Scale AGN Jets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander B. Pushkarev

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available We used 15 GHz multi-epoch Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA polarization sensitive observations of 484 sources within a time interval 1996–2016 from the MOJAVE program, and also from the NRAO data archive. We have analyzed the linear polarization characteristics of the compact core features and regions downstream, and their changes along and across the parsec-scale active galactic nuclei (AGN jets. We detected a significant increase of fractional polarization with distance from the radio core along the jet as well as towards the jet edges. Compared to quasars, BL Lacs have a higher degree of polarization and exhibit more stable electric vector position angles (EVPAs in their core features and a better alignment of the EVPAs with the local jet direction. The latter is accompanied by a higher degree of linear polarization, suggesting that compact bright jet features might be strong transverse shocks, which enhance magnetic field regularity by compression.

  14. A Fundamental Study on Influence of Concurrently Presented Visual Stimulus Upon Loudness Perception

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koji Abe

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available As a basic study on the influence of the dynamic properties of the audio-visual stimuli upon interaction between audition and vision, the effect of the simple movement involved in the visual stimulus on the loudness perception of the audio stimulus was investigated via psychophysical experiment. In this experiment, the visual stimulus given to subjects along with the audio stimulus is a bar appeared on a display, one side of which is flexibly expanding and contracting. The loudness of the audio stimulus with such a visual effect concurrently presented was rated as an absolute numerical value by using the Magnitude Estimation method. The reference of the bar length is determined so as to correspond to the Zwicker's loudness calculated for the given audio stimulus. As a result, the visual stimulus did not affect the loudness perception, when the bar was presented with its length same as the reference. On the other hand, the rating of the loudness for the same audio stimulus was significantly increased when the bar length was longer than the reference. This indicates that the change in the correspondence between the audio and the visual stimuli affect the loudness perception.

  15. Temporal integration of loudness as a function of level

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Florentine, Mary; Buus, Søren; Poulsen, Torben

    1996-01-01

    Absolute thresholds were measured for 5-, 30-, and 200-ms stimuli using an adaptive, forced choice procedure. Temporal integration of loudness for these durations was also measured for a 1-kHz tone and for broadband noises over a range of 5-80 dB SL (noise) and 5-90 dB SL (tones). Results show...... that temporal integration (defined as the level difference between equally loud 5- and 200-ms stimuli) varies non-monotonically with level. The temporal integration is about 10-12 dB near threshold, increases to 18-19 dB when the 5-ms signal is about 56 dB SPL (tone) and 76 dB SPL (noise), decreases again...... that the growth of loudness may, at least in part, be consistent with the nonlinear input/output function of the basilar membrane....

  16. Binaural loudness summation for directional sounds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sivonen, Ville Pekka; Ellermeier, Wolfgang

    2006-01-01

    the binaural loudness summation of the at-ear signals. Even though the effects of HRTFs were taken into account, considerable individual differences in the binaural summation of loudness remained. In order to create conditions in which the directional at-ear changes were identical for all participants......, the present experiment employed 'generic' HRTFs to create directional sounds via binaural synthesis. When inspecting the results of the listening tests, however, large individual differences were still evident, as in the earlier study. The generality of this finding was further corroborated by running...... an independent, inexperienced sample of ten participants exclusively being exposed to the present generic HRTFs. Despite the individual differences, the average results suggest a relatively simple rule for combining the binaural input when carrying out acoustical measurements using an artificial head...

  17. BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey - III. An Observed Link Between AGN Eddington Ratio and Narrow-Emission-Line Ratios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Kyuseok; Schawinski, Kevin; Koss, Michael; Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Lamperti, Isabella; Ricci, Claudio; Mushotzky, Richard; Veilleux, Sylvain; Berney, Simon; Crenshaw, D. Michael; hide

    2016-01-01

    We investigate the observed relationship between black hole mass (M(sub BH)), bolometric luminosity (L(sub bol)) and Eddington ratio (lambda(sub Edd)) with optical emission-line ratios ([N II] lambda6583/Halpha, [S II]lambda-lamda6716, 6731/Halpha, [O I] lamda6300/Halpha, [O III] lamda5007/Hbeta, [Ne III] lamda3869/Hbeta and He II lamda4686/Hbeta) of hard X-ray-selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) from the BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey. We show that the [N II] lamda6583/Halpha ratio exhibits a significant correlation with lamda(sub Edd) (R(sub Pear) = -0.44, p-value 3 x 10(exp. -13) sigma = 0.28 dex), and the correlation is not solely driven by M(sub BH) or L(sub bol). The observed correlation between [N II] lamda6583/Halpha ratio and M(sub BH) is stronger than the correlation with L(sub bol), but both are weaker than the lamda(sub Edd) correlation. This implies that the large-scale narrow lines of AGN host galaxies carry information about the accretion state of the AGN central engine. We propose that [N II] lamda6583/Halpha is a useful indicator of Eddington ratio with 0.6 dex of rms scatter, and that it can be used to measure lambda(sub Edd) and thus M(sub BH) from the measured L(sub bol), even for high-redshift obscured AGN. We briefly discuss possible physical mechanisms behind this correlation, such as the mass-metallicity relation, X-ray heating, and radiatively driven outflows.

  18. When tinnitus loudness and annoyance are discrepant: audiological characteristics and psychological profile.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiller, Wolfgang; Goebel, Gerhard

    2007-01-01

    This study evaluates sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients reporting discrepant levels of tinnitus loudness and annoyance. 4958 subjects recruited from a national tinnitus association completed a comprehensive screening questionnaire including Klockhoff and Lindblom's loudness grading system and the psychometric Mini-TQ (Tinnitus Questionnaire). There was a moderate correlation of 0.45 between loudness and annoyance. Of the subjects reporting very loud tinnitus, about one third had only mild or moderate annoyance scores. They were not different from those with high annoyance regarding age, gender and tinnitus duration, but annoyance was increased when subjects had additional hearing loss (OR = 1.71), vertigo/dizziness (OR = 1.94) or hyperacusis (OR = 4.96). Another significant predictor was history of neurological disease (OR = 3.16). Subjects reported low annoyance despite high loudness more often if not feeling low/depressed and not considering themselves as victims of their noises. A specific psychological profile was found to characterize annoyed tinnitus sufferers. Permanent awareness of the noises, decreased ability to ignore them and concentration difficulties were reported frequently even when overall annoyance scores were comparatively low. It is concluded that the coexistence of tinnitus with hearing loss, vertigo/dizziness and hyperacusis as complicating otological conditions seems to be of clinical relevance for the prediction of high annoyance levels. Tinnitus loudness and annoyance are not necessarily congruent and should be assessed separately. (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  19. The VLT/MUSE view of the central galaxy in Abell 2052. Ionized gas swept by the expanding radio source

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balmaverde, Barbara; Capetti, Alessandro; Marconi, Alessandro; Venturi, Giacomo

    2018-04-01

    We report observations of the radio galaxy 3C 317 (at z = 0.0345) located at the center of the Abell cluster A2052, obtained with the VLT/MUSE integral field spectrograph. The Chandra images of this cluster show cavities in the X-ray emitting gas, which were produced by the expansion of the radio lobes inflated by the active galactic nucleus (AGN). Our exquisite MUSE data show with unprecedented detail the complex network of line emitting filaments enshrouding the northern X-ray cavity. We do not detect any emission lines from the southern cavity, with a luminosity asymmetry between the two regions higher than 75. The emission lines produced by the warm phase of the interstellar medium (WIM) enable us to obtain unique information on the properties of the emitting gas. We find dense gas (up to 270 cm-3) that makes up part of a global quasi spherical outflow that is driven by the radio source, and obtain a direct estimate of the expansion velocity of the cavities (265 km s-1). The emission lines diagnostic rules out ionization from the AGN or from star-forming regions, suggesting instead ionization from slow shocks or from cosmic rays. The striking asymmetric line emission observed between the two cavities contrasts with the less pronounced differences between the north and south sides in the hot gas; this represents a significant new ingredient for our understanding of the process of the exchange of energy between the relativistic plasma and the external medium. We conclude that the expanding radio lobes displace the hot tenuous phase of the interstellar medium (ISM), but also impact the colder and denser ISM phases. These results show the effects of the AGN on its host and the importance of radio mode feedback. The reduced datacube is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/612/A19

  20. Morphology and astrometry of Infrared-Faint Radio Sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Middelberg, Enno; Norris, Ray; Randall, Kate; Mao, Minnie; Hales, Christopher

    2008-10-01

    Infrared-Faint Radio Sources, or IFRS, are an unexpected class of object discovered in the Australia Telescope Large Area Survey, ATLAS. They are compact 1.4GHz radio sources with no visible counterparts in co-located (relatively shallow) Spitzer infrared and optical images. We have detected two of these objects with VLBI, indicating the presence of an AGN. These observations and our ATLAS data indicate that IFRS are extended on scales of arcseconds, and we wish to image their morphologies to obtain clues about their nature. These observations will also help us to select optical counterparts from very deep, and hence crowded, optical images which we have proposed. With these data in hand, we will be able to compare IFRS to known object types and to apply for spectroscopy to obtain their redshifts.

  1. The fraction of AGNs in major merger galaxies and its luminosity dependence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weigel, Anna K.; Schawinski, Kevin; Treister, Ezequiel; Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Sanders, David B.

    2018-05-01

    We use a phenomenological model which connects the galaxy and active galactic nucleus (AGN) populations to investigate the process of AGNs triggering through major galaxy mergers at z ˜ 0. The model uses stellar mass functions as input and allows the prediction of AGN luminosity functions based on assumed Eddington ratio distribution functions (ERDFs). We show that the number of AGNs hosted by merger galaxies relative to the total number of AGNs increases as a function of AGN luminosity. This is due to more massive galaxies being more likely to undergo a merger and does not require the assumption that mergers lead to higher Eddington ratios than secular processes. Our qualitative analysis also shows that to match the observations, the probability of a merger galaxy hosting an AGN and accreting at a given Eddington value has to be increased by a factor ˜10 relative to the general AGN population. An additional significant increase of the fraction of high Eddington ratio AGNs among merger host galaxies leads to inconsistency with the observed X-ray luminosity function. Physically our results imply that, compared to the general galaxy population, the AGN fraction among merger galaxies is ˜10 times higher. On average, merger triggering does however not lead to significantly higher Eddington ratios.

  2. Testing AGN unification via inference from large catalogs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikutta, Robert; Ivezic, Zeljko; Elitzur, Moshe; Nenkova, Maia

    2018-01-01

    Source orientation and clumpiness of the central dust are the main factors in AGN classification. Type-1 QSOs are easy to observe and large samples are available (e.g. in SDSS), but obscured type-2 AGN are dimmer and redder as our line of sight is more obscured, making it difficult to obtain a complete sample. WISE has found up to a million QSOs. With only 4 bands and a relatively small aperture the analysis of individual sources is challenging, but the large sample allows inference of bulk properties at a very significant level.CLUMPY (www.clumpy.org) is arguably the most popular database of AGN torus SEDs. We model the ensemble properties of the entire WISE AGN content using regularized linear regression, with orientation-dependent CLUMPY color-color-magnitude (CCM) tracks as basis functions. We can reproduce the observed number counts per CCM bin with percent-level accuracy, and simultaneously infer the probability distributions of all torus parameters, redshifts, additional SED components, and identify type-1/2 AGN populations through their IR properties alone. We increase the statistical power of our AGN unification tests even further, by adding other datasets as axes in the regression problem. To this end, we make use of the NOAO Data Lab (datalab.noao.edu), which hosts several high-level large datasets and provides very powerful tools for handling large data, e.g. cross-matched catalogs, fast remote queries, etc.

  3. THE UNIFICATION OF POWERFUL QUASARS AND RADIO GALAXIES AND THEIR RELATION TO OTHER MASSIVE GALAXIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Podigachoski, Pece; Barthel, Peter [Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, 9747 AD Groningen (Netherlands); Haas, Martin [Astronomisches Institut, Ruhr Universität, D-44801 Bochum (Germany); Leipski, Christian [Max-Planck Institut für Astronomie (MPIA), D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Wilkes, Belinda, E-mail: podigachoski@astro.rug.nl [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

    2015-06-10

    The unification model for powerful radio galaxies (RGs) and radio-loud quasars postulates that these objects are intrinsically the same but viewed along different angles. Herschel Space Observatory data permit the assessment of that model in the far-infrared spectral window. We analyze photometry from Spitzer and Herschel for the distant 3CR hosts, and find that RGs and quasars have different mid-infrared, but indistinguishable far-infrared colors. Both these properties, the former being orientation dependent and the latter orientation invariant, are in line with expectations from the unification model. Adding powerful radio-quiet active galaxies and typical massive star-forming (SF) galaxies to the analysis, we demonstrate that infrared colors not only provide an orientation indicator, but can also distinguish active from SF galaxies.

  4. THE UNIFICATION OF POWERFUL QUASARS AND RADIO GALAXIES AND THEIR RELATION TO OTHER MASSIVE GALAXIES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Podigachoski, Pece; Barthel, Peter; Haas, Martin; Leipski, Christian; Wilkes, Belinda

    2015-01-01

    The unification model for powerful radio galaxies (RGs) and radio-loud quasars postulates that these objects are intrinsically the same but viewed along different angles. Herschel Space Observatory data permit the assessment of that model in the far-infrared spectral window. We analyze photometry from Spitzer and Herschel for the distant 3CR hosts, and find that RGs and quasars have different mid-infrared, but indistinguishable far-infrared colors. Both these properties, the former being orientation dependent and the latter orientation invariant, are in line with expectations from the unification model. Adding powerful radio-quiet active galaxies and typical massive star-forming (SF) galaxies to the analysis, we demonstrate that infrared colors not only provide an orientation indicator, but can also distinguish active from SF galaxies

  5. Spectral-luminosity evolution of active galactic nuclei (AGN)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leiter, Darryl; Boldt, Elihu

    1992-01-01

    The origin of the cosmic X-ray and gamma-ray backgrounds is explained via the mechanism of AGN spectral-luminosity evolution. The spectral evolution of precursor active galaxies into AGN, and Newton-Raphson input and output parameters are discussed.

  6. A search for AGN activity in Infrared-Faint Radio Sources (IFRS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenc, Emil; Middelberg, Enno; Norris, Ray; Mao, Minnie

    2010-04-01

    We propose to observe a large sample of radio sources from the ATLAS (Australia Telescope Large Area Survey) source catalogue with the LBA, to determine their compactness. The sample consists of 36 sources with no counterpart in the co-located SWIRE survey (3.6 um to 160 um), carried out with the Spitzer Space Telescope. This rare class of sources, dubber Infrared-Faint Radio Sources (IFRS), is inconsistent with current galaxy evolution models. VLBI observations are an essential way to obtain further clues on what these objects are and why they are hidden from infrared observations. We will measure the flux densities on long baselines to determine their compactness. Only five IFRS have been previously targeted with VLBI observations (resulting in two detections). We propose using single baseline (Parkes-ATCA) eVLBI observations with the LBA at 1 Gbps to maximise sensitivity. With the observations proposed here we will increase the number of VLBI-observed IFRS from 5 to 36, allowing us to draw statistical conclusions about this intriguing new class of objects.

  7. A model for AGN variability on multiple time-scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sartori, Lia F.; Schawinski, Kevin; Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Caplar, Neven; Treister, Ezequiel; Koss, Michael J.; Urry, C. Megan; Zhang, C. E.

    2018-05-01

    We present a framework to link and describe active galactic nuclei (AGN) variability on a wide range of time-scales, from days to billions of years. In particular, we concentrate on the AGN variability features related to changes in black hole fuelling and accretion rate. In our framework, the variability features observed in different AGN at different time-scales may be explained as realisations of the same underlying statistical properties. In this context, we propose a model to simulate the evolution of AGN light curves with time based on the probability density function (PDF) and power spectral density (PSD) of the Eddington ratio (L/LEdd) distribution. Motivated by general galaxy population properties, we propose that the PDF may be inspired by the L/LEdd distribution function (ERDF), and that a single (or limited number of) ERDF+PSD set may explain all observed variability features. After outlining the framework and the model, we compile a set of variability measurements in terms of structure function (SF) and magnitude difference. We then combine the variability measurements on a SF plot ranging from days to Gyr. The proposed framework enables constraints on the underlying PSD and the ability to link AGN variability on different time-scales, therefore providing new insights into AGN variability and black hole growth phenomena.

  8. A radio monitoring survey of ultra-luminous X-ray sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Körding, E.; Colbert, E.; Falcke, H.

    2005-06-01

    We present the results of a radio monitoring campaign to search for radio emission from nearby ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs). These sources are bright off-nuclear X-ray point sources with luminosities exceeding LX > 1039 erg s-1. A well-defined sample of the 9 nearest ULXs has been monitored eight times over 5 months with the Very Large Array in A and B configuration. Our limiting sensitivity is ≈0.15 mJy (4σ) for radio flares and ≈60 μJy for continuous emission. In M 82 two ULXs seem to have coincident compact radio sources, which are probably supernova remnants. No continuous or flaring radio emission has been detected from any other ULX. Thus, ULXs do not generally emit steady-state radio emission above radio powers of 1.5 × 1017 W/Hz. The non-detections of the continuous emission are consistent with beamed or unbeamed radio emission from accreting black holes of ≤ 103 M⊙ based on the radio/X-ray correlation. Other published radio detections (M 82, NGC 5408) are also discussed in this context. Both detections are significantly above our detection limit. If ULXs have flaring radio emission above 4 × 1017 W/Hz we can give an upper limit on the duty cycle of the flares of 6%. This upper limit is in agreement with the observed number of flares in Galactic radio transients. Additionally we present a yet unreported radio double structure in the nearby low-luminosity AGN NGC 4736.

  9. Spectroscopy of radio sources from the Parkes 2700 MHz survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thompson, D.J.; Djorgovski, S.; De Carvalho, R.

    1990-01-01

    The results of long-slit CCD spectroscopy on 37 objects from the Parkes 2700 MHz survey are presented, with data for an additional two companion objects. Eight of the objects are quasars, six more are AGNs, and five more are radio galaxies. Seventeen of the objects observed are stars and, thus, probable misidentifications. Three objects show featureless spectra and are identified as possible BL Lac objects. Spectra are presented for a total of 20 objects. 20 refs

  10. Radio and optical observations of 0218+357 - The smallest Einstein ring?

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Dea, Christopher P.; Baum, Stefi A.; Stanghellini, Carlo; Dey, Arjun; Van Breugel, Wil; Deustua, Susana; Smith, Eric P.

    1992-01-01

    VLA radio observations and optical imaging and spectroscopy of the Einstein radio ring 0218+357 are presented. The ring is detected at 22.4 GHz and shows a basically similar structure at 5, 15, and 22.4 GHz. The B component has varied and was about 15 percent brighter in the 8.4 GHz data than in the data of Patnaik et al. (1992). The ring is highly polarized. A weak jetlike feature extending out roughly 2 arcsec to the southeast of component A is detected at 6 cm. The source has amorphous radio structure extending out to about 11 arcsec from the core. For an adopted redshift of 0.68, the extended radio emission is very powerful. The optical spectrum is rather red and shows no strong features. A redshift of about 0.68 is obtained. The identification is a faint compact m(r) about 20 galaxy which extends to about 4.5 arcsec (about 27 kpc). As much as 50 percent of the total light may be due to a central AGN. The observed double core and ring may be produced by an off-center radio core with extended radio structure.

  11. Perceptual Weights for Loudness Judgments of 6-Tone Complexes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jesteadt, Walt; Valente, Daniel L.; Joshi, Suyash Narendra

    In a series of studies, 6 subjects with normal hearing (NH) and 3 with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) judged the overall loudness of 6-tone complexes comprised of octave frequencies from 0.25 to 8 kHz. In two tasks, tones were equated in level in dB SPL or in sensation level (SL) and a range....... In the “loudness” task there was no difference in mean level across the two intervals. In the “sample discrimination” task, the two complexes differed by an average of 5 dB. For both tasks, perceptual weights were derived by correlating the differences in level between matched-frequency tones in the complexes...... and the loudness decision on each trial. Weights derived from the loudness task (no mean level difference) were highly correlated with weights derived from the sample discrimination task (5-dB difference). For SPL conditions, both NH and SNHL subjects placed less weight on the lowest frequency and greater weight...

  12. Broadband spectral study of the jet-disc emission in the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0323+342

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Ritesh; Dewangan, Gulab C.; Mallick, Labani; Raychaudhuri, Biplab

    2018-06-01

    We present a broadband spectral study of the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0323+342 based on multi-epoch observations performed with NuSTAR on 2014 March 15, and two simultaneous observations performed with Suzaku and Swift on 2009 July 26 and 2013 March 1. We found the presence of a strong soft X-ray excess emission, a broad but weak Fe line and hard X-ray excess emission. We used the blurred reflection (relxill) and the intrinsic disc Comptonization (optxagnf), two physically motivated models, to describe the broadband spectra and to disentangle the disk/corona and jet emission. The relxill model is mainly constrained by the strong soft X-ray excess although the model failed to predict this excess when fitted above 3{keV} and extrapolated to lower energies. The joint spectral analysis of the three datasets above 3{keV} with this model resulted in a high black hole spin (a > 0.9) and moderate reflection fraction R ˜ 0.5. The optxagnf model fitted to the two simultaneous datasets resulted in an excess emission in the UV band. The simultaneous UV-to-hard X-ray spectra of 1H 0323+342 are best described by a model consisting of a primary X-ray power-law continuum with Γ ˜ 1.8, a blurred reflection component with R ˜ 0.5, Comptonised disk emission as the soft X-ray excess, optical/UV emission from a standard accretion disk around a black hole of mass ˜107M⊙ and a steep power law (Γ ˜ 3 - 3.5) component, most likely the jet emission in the UV band. The fractional RMS variability spectra suggest that both the soft excess and the powerlaw component are variable in nature.

  13. Star-forming Galaxies as AGN Imposters? A Theoretical Investigation of the Mid-infrared Colors of AGNs and Extreme Starbursts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satyapal, Shobita; Abel, Nicholas P.; Secrest, Nathan J.

    2018-05-01

    We conduct for the first time a theoretical investigation of the mid-infrared spectral energy distribution (SED) produced by dust heated by an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and an extreme starburst. These models employ an integrated modeling approach using photoionization and stellar population synthesis models in which both the line and emergent continuum is predicted from gas exposed to the ionizing radiation from a young starburst and an AGN. In this work, we focus on the infrared colors from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, predicting the dependence of the colors on the input radiation field, the interstellar medium conditions, the obscuring column, and the metallicity. We find that an extreme starburst can mimic an AGN in two band mid-infrared color cuts employed in the literature. However, the three-band color cuts employed in the literature require starbursts with extremely high ionization parameters or gas densities. We show that the extreme mid-infrared colors seen in some blue compact dwarf galaxies are not due to metallicity but rather a combination of high ionization parameters and high column densities. Based on our theoretical calculations, we present a theoretical mid-infrared color cut that will exclude even the most extreme starburst that we have modeled in this work. The theoretical AGN demarcation region presented here can be used to identify elusive AGN candidates for future follow-up studies with the James Webb Space Telescope. The full suite of simulated SEDs are available online.

  14. DUAL SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE CANDIDATES IN THE AGN AND GALAXY EVOLUTION SURVEY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Comerford, Julia M.; Schluns, Kyle; Greene, Jenny E.; Cool, Richard J.

    2013-01-01

    Dual supermassive black holes (SMBHs) with kiloparsec-scale separations in merger-remnant galaxies are informative tracers of galaxy evolution, but the avenue for identifying them in large numbers for such studies is not yet clear. One promising approach is to target spectroscopic signatures of systems where both SMBHs are fueled as dual active galactic nuclei (AGNs), or where one SMBH is fueled as an offset AGN. Dual AGNs may produce double-peaked narrow AGN emission lines, while offset AGNs may produce single-peaked narrow AGN emission lines with line-of-sight velocity offsets relative to the host galaxy. We search for such dual and offset systems among 173 Type 2 AGNs at z +3.6 -1.9 % to 18 +5 -5 %). This may be associated with the rise in the galaxy merger fraction over the same cosmic time. As further evidence for a link with galaxy mergers, the AGES offset and dual AGN candidates are tentatively ∼3 times more likely than the overall AGN population to reside in a host galaxy that has a companion galaxy (from 16/173 to 2/7, or 9 +3 -2 % to 29 -19 +26 %). Follow-up observations of the seven offset and dual AGN candidates in AGES will definitively distinguish velocity offsets produced by dual SMBHs from those produced by narrow-line region kinematics, and will help sharpen our observational approach to detecting dual SMBHs

  15. Is Electronically Amplified Music too Loud? What do Young People Think?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mercier, Vlasta; Hohmann, Beat W.

    2002-01-01

    Listening to loud music has been associated, in a number of studies, with hearing loss and tinnitus among young people. However an unanswered question is whether or not these same young people want to have their music so loud. In our study 533 young men and 167 young women, in the age group 16 to 25, who were attending a vocational training centre, responded to a questionnaire and volunteered to have their hearing assessed. The questionnaire sought information on listening habits, on the kinds of events attended, on whether the music at these events was too loud or not, and if the respondents considered their hearing had been impaired. Analysis of this data indicated that 79% of the subjects attend discotheques, 52% pop and rock concerts, and 35% techno parties (e.g. raves). A significant number considered the music at these venues was too loud. Some 42% considered this was the case at discos, 35% thought pop and rock concerts too loud, and 39% held a similar view of techno parties. Conversely, fewer than 3% considered sound levels at these events to be too low. On the basis of the response to the questionnaire we estimate that over half the respondents (56.6%) have a sound exposure (L(eq)) from music of over 87 dB(A). It is not surprising therefore that 71% reported that they had suffered tinnitus following attendance at a music event. The hearing capacity of the sample was measured by audiometry. These measurements detected hearing loss in 11% of the 700 individuals tested. However it was not possible to show that the risk of hearing loss increased with increasing exposure to loud music. We conclude that young people neither demand nor require the excessive sound levels typical of most music events.

  16. The impact of rate reduction and increased loudness on fundamental frequency characteristics in dysarthria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tjaden, Kris; Wilding, Greg

    2011-01-01

    This study examined the extent to which articulatory rate reduction and increased loudness were associated with adjustments in utterance-level measures of fundamental frequency (F(0)) variability for speakers with dysarthria and healthy controls that have been shown to impact on intelligibility in previously published studies. More generally, the current study sought to compare and contrast how a slower-than-normal rate and increased vocal loudness impact on a variety of utterance-level F(0) characteristics for speakers with dysarthria and healthy controls. Eleven speakers with Parkinson's disease, 15 speakers with multiple sclerosis, and 14 healthy control speakers were audio recorded while reading a passage in habitual, loud, and slow conditions. Magnitude production was used to elicit variations in rate and loudness. Acoustic measures of duration, intensity and F(0) were obtained. For all speaker groups, a slower-than-normal articulatory rate and increased vocal loudness had distinct effects on F(0) relative to the habitual condition, including a tendency for measures of F(0) variation to be greater in the loud condition and reduced in the slow condition. These results suggest implications for the treatment of dysarthria. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  17. Monitoring AGNs with Hbeta Asymmetry with the Wyoming Infra-Red Observatory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brotherton, Michael S.; Du, Pu; Wang, Jian-Min; Wang, Kai; Huang, Zhengpeng; Hu, Chen; Li, Yan-rong; Kasper, David H.; Chick, William T.; Nguyen, My L.; Maithil, Jaya; Hand, Derek; Bai, Jin-Ming; Ho, Luis

    2018-06-01

    We present preliminary results from two seasons of reverberation mapping of AGNs using the optical longslit spectrograph on the 2.3 meter WIRO telescope. The majority of the sample is part of our "Monitoring AGNs with Hbeta Asymmetry" project, also known as MAHA, which targets rarer AGNs with extremely asymmetric profiles that may provide new insights into the full diversity of size and structure of the broad-line region (BLR). Our hundreds of nights of telescope time provide dozens of epochs of spectra for approximately two dozen objects. Notably we find that many AGNs with broader asymmetric Hbeta emission lines possess time lags significantly shorter than expected for their luminosity in comparison to the majority of AGNs reverberation mapped.

  18. Parsec-Scale Kinematic and Polarization Properties of MOJAVE AGN Jets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lister Matthew L.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available We describe the parsec-scale kinematics and statistical polarization properties of 200 AGN jets based on 15 GHz VLBA data obtained between 1994 Aug 31 and 2011 May 1. Nearly all of the 60 most heavily observed jets show significant changes in their innermost position angle over a 12 to 16 year interval, ranging from 10° to 150° on the sky, corresponding to intrinsic variations of ~ 0.5° to ~ 2°. The BL Lac jets show smaller variations than quasars. Roughly half of the heavily observed jets show systematic position angle trends with time, and 20 show indications of oscillatory behavior. The time spans of the data sets are too short compared to the fitted periods (5 to 12 y, however, to reliably establish periodicity. The rapid changes and large jumps in position angle seen in many cases suggest that the superluminal AGN jet features occupy only a portion of the entire jet cross section, and may be energized portions of thin instability structures within the jet. We have derived vector proper motions for 887 moving features in 200 jets having at least five VLBA epochs. For 557 well-sampled features, there are sufficient data to additionally study possible accelerations. The moving features are generally non-ballistic, with 70% of the well-sampled features showing either significant accelerations or non-radial motions. Inward motions are rare (2% of all features, are slow (< 0.1 mas per y, are more prevalent in BL Lac jets, and are typically found within 1 mas of the unresolved core feature. There is a general trend of increasing apparent speed with distance down the jet for both radio galaxies and BL Lac objects. In most jets, the speeds of the features cluster around a characteristic value, yet there is a considerable dispersion in the distribution. Orientation variations within the jet cannot fully account for the dispersion, implying that the features have a range of Lorentz factor and/or pattern speed. Very slow pattern speed features are

  19. Perceptual Bias and Loudness Change: An Investigation of Memory, Masking, and Psychophysiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsen, Kirk N.

    Loudness is a fundamental aspect of human auditory perception that is closely associated with a sound's physical acoustic intensity. The dynamic quality of intensity change is an inherent acoustic feature in real-world listening domains such as speech and music. However, perception of loudness change in response to continuous intensity increases (up-ramps) and decreases (down-ramps) has received relatively little empirical investigation. Overestimation of loudness change in response to up-ramps is said to be linked to an adaptive survival response associated with looming (or approaching) motion in the environment. The hypothesised 'perceptual bias' to looming auditory motion suggests why perceptual overestimation of up-ramps may occur; however it does not offer a causal explanation. It is concluded that post-stimulus judgements of perceived loudness change are significantly affected by a cognitive recency response bias that, until now, has been an artefact of experimental procedure. Perceptual end-level differences caused by duration specific sensory adaptation at peripheral and/or central stages of auditory processing may explain differences in post-stimulus judgements of loudness change. Experiments that investigate human responses to acoustic intensity dynamics, encompassing topics from basic auditory psychophysics (e.g., sensory adaptation) to cognitive-emotional appraisal of increasingly complex stimulus events such as music and auditory warnings, are proposed for future research.

  20. Host Galaxy Properties of the Swift BAT Ultra Hard X-Ray Selected AGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koss, Michael; Mushotzky, Richard; Veilleux, Sylvain; Winter, Lisa M.; Baumgartner, Wayne; Tueller, Jack; Gehrels, Neil; Valencic, Lynne

    2011-01-01

    We have assembled the largest sample of ultra hard X-ray selected (14-195 keV) AGN with host galaxy optical data to date, with 185 nearby (zBAT) sample. The BAT AGN host galaxies have intermediate optical colors (u -- r and g -- r) that are bluer than a comparison sample of inactive galaxies and optically selected AGN from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) which are chosen to have the same stellar mass. Based on morphological classifications from the RC3 and the Galaxy Zoo, the bluer colors of BAT AGN are mainly due to a higher fraction of mergers and massive spirals than in the comparison samples. BAT AGN in massive galaxies (log Stellar Mass >10.5) have a 5 to 10 times higher rate of spiral morphologies than in SDSS AGN or inactive galaxies. We also see enhanced far-IR emission in BAT AGN suggestive of higher levels of star formation compared to the comparison samples. BAT AGN are preferentially found in the most massive host galaxies with high concentration indexes indicative of large bulge-to-disk ratios and large supermassive black holes. The narrow-line (NL) BAT AGN have similar intrinsic luminosities as the SDSS NL Seyferts based on measurements of [O III] Lambda 5007. There is also a correlation between the stellar mass and X-ray emission. The BAT AGN in mergers have bluer colors and greater ultra hard X-ray emission compared to the BAT sample as whole. In agreement with the Unified Model of AGN, and the relatively unbiased nature of the BAT sources, the host galaxy colors and morphologies are independent of measures of obscuration such as X-ray column density or Seyfert type. The high fraction of massive spiral galaxies and galaxy mergers in BAT AGN suggest that host galaxy morphology is related to the activation and fueling of local AGN.

  1. The joint fit of the BHMF and ERDF for the BAT AGN Sample

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weigel, Anna K.; Koss, Michael; Ricci, Claudio; Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Oh, Kyuseok; Schawinski, Kevin; Lamperti, Isabella

    2018-01-01

    A natural product of an AGN survey is the AGN luminosity function. This statistical measure describes the distribution of directly measurable AGN luminosities. Intrinsically, the shape of the luminosity function depends on the distribution of black hole masses and Eddington ratios. To constrain these fundamental AGN properties, the luminosity function thus has to be disentangled into the black hole mass and Eddington ratio distribution function. The BASS survey is unique as it allows such a joint fit for a large number of local AGN, is unbiased in terms of obscuration in the X-rays and provides black hole masses for type-1 and type-2 AGN. The black hole mass function at z ~ 0 represents an essential baseline for simulations and black hole growth models. The normalization of the Eddington ratio distribution function directly constrains the AGN fraction. Together, the BASS AGN luminosity, black hole mass and Eddington ratio distribution functions thus provide a complete picture of the local black hole population.

  2. AGNs with discordant optical and X-ray classification are not a physical family: diverse origin in two AGNs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ordovás-Pascual, I.; Mateos, S.; Carrera, F. J.; Wiersema, K.; Barcons, X.; Braito, V.; Caccianiga, A.; Del Moro, A.; Della Ceca, R.; Severgnini, P.

    2017-07-01

    Approximately 3-17 per cent of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) without detected rest-frame UV/optical broad emission lines (type-2 AGN) do not show absorption in X-rays. The physical origin behind the apparently discordant optical/X-ray properties is not fully understood. Our study aims at providing insight into this issue by conducting a detailed analysis of the nuclear dust extinction and X-ray absorption properties of two AGNs with low X-ray absorption and with high optical extinction, for which a rich set of high-quality spectroscopic data is available from XMM-Newton archive data in X-rays and XSHOOTER proprietary data at UV-to-NIR wavelengths. In order to unveil the apparent mismatch, we have determined the AV/NH and both the supermassive black hole and the host galaxy masses. We find that the mismatch is caused in one case by an abnormally high dust-to-gas ratio that makes the UV/optical emission to appear more obscured than in the X-rays. For the other object, we find that the dust-to-gas ratio is similar to the Galactic one but the AGN is hosted by a very massive galaxy so that the broad emission lines and the nuclear continuum are swamped by the star light and difficult to detect.

  3. PRIMUS: INFRARED AND X-RAY AGN SELECTION TECHNIQUES AT 0.2 < z < 1.2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mendez, Alexander J.; Coil, Alison L.; Aird, James; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M. [Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, Department of Physics, University of California, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093 (United States); Moustakas, John [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Siena College, 515 Loudon Road, Loudonville, NY 12211 (United States); Blanton, Michael R. [Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, Department of Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003 (United States); Cool, Richard J. [Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); Eisenstein, Daniel J. [Harvard College Observatory, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Wong, Kenneth C. [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Zhu Guangtun [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

    2013-06-10

    We present a study of Spitzer/IRAC and X-ray active galactic nucleus (AGN) selection techniques in order to quantify the overlap, uniqueness, contamination, and completeness of each. We investigate how the overlap and possible contamination of the samples depend on the depth of both the IR and X-ray data. We use Spitzer/IRAC imaging, Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray imaging, and spectroscopic redshifts from the PRism MUlti-object Survey to construct galaxy and AGN samples at 0.2 < z < 1.2 over 8 deg{sup 2}. We construct samples over a wide range of IRAC flux limits (SWIRE to GOODS depth) and X-ray flux limits (10 ks to 2 Ms). We compare IR-AGN samples defined using both the IRAC color selection of Stern et al. and Donley et al. with X-ray-detected AGN samples. For roughly similar depth IR and X-ray surveys, we find that {approx}75% of IR-selected AGNs are also identified as X-ray AGNs. This fraction increases to {approx}90% when comparing against the deepest X-ray data, indicating that at most {approx}10% of IR-selected AGNs may be heavily obscured. The IR-AGN selection proposed by Stern et al. suffers from contamination by star-forming galaxies at various redshifts when using deeper IR data, though the selection technique works well for shallow IR data. While similar overall, the IR-AGN samples preferentially contain more luminous AGNs, while the X-ray AGN samples identify a wider range of AGN accretion rates including low specific accretion rate AGNs, where the host galaxy light dominates at IR wavelengths. The host galaxy populations of the IR and X-ray AGN samples have similar rest-frame colors and stellar masses; both selections identify AGNs in blue, star-forming and red, quiescent galaxies.

  4. Formation and femtosecond photodissociation of Agn+andAun+ complexes with benzene and carbon monoxide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Popolan, Denisia M.; Bernhardt, Thorsten M.

    2009-02-01

    The reactions of free, size selected gold and silver cluster cations Agn+andAun+ ( n = 3, 5) with C 6H 6 as well as with a mixture of C 6H 6 and CO were investigated in a radio frequency ion trap under multiple collision condition. While benzene was found to react with all investigated metal clusters exhibiting size dependent adsorbate coverages, the coadsorption of C 6H 6 and CO was only observed on the gold clusters. Photodissociation experiments at 353 and 393 nm, respectively, provided indications for charge transfer induced fragmentation in the case of the silver cluster-benzene complexes. In particular, for Ag(CH)2+ the femtosecond time resolved fragmentation dynamics could be measured.

  5. Psychoacoustic Tinnitus Loudness and Tinnitus-Related Distress Show Different Associations with Oscillatory Brain Activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balkenhol, Tobias; Wallhäusser-Franke, Elisabeth; Delb, Wolfgang

    2013-01-01

    Background The phantom auditory perception of subjective tinnitus is associated with aberrant brain activity as evidenced by magneto- and electroencephalographic studies. We tested the hypotheses (1) that psychoacoustically measured tinnitus loudness is related to gamma oscillatory band power, and (2) that tinnitus loudness and tinnitus-related distress are related to distinct brain activity patterns as suggested by the distinction between loudness and distress experienced by tinnitus patients. Furthermore, we explored (3) how hearing impairment, minimum masking level, and (4) psychological comorbidities are related to spontaneous oscillatory brain activity in tinnitus patients. Methods and Findings Resting state oscillatory brain activity recorded electroencephalographically from 46 male tinnitus patients showed a positive correlation between gamma band oscillations and psychoacoustic tinnitus loudness determined with the reconstructed tinnitus sound, but not with the other psychoacoustic loudness measures that were used. Tinnitus-related distress did also correlate with delta band activity, but at electrode positions different from those associated with tinnitus loudness. Furthermore, highly distressed tinnitus patients exhibited a higher level of theta band activity. Moreover, mean hearing loss between 0.125 kHz and 16 kHz was associated with a decrease in gamma activity, whereas minimum masking levels correlated positively with delta band power. In contrast, psychological comorbidities did not express significant correlations with oscillatory brain activity. Conclusion Different clinically relevant tinnitus characteristics show distinctive associations with spontaneous brain oscillatory power. Results support hypothesis (1), but exclusively for the tinnitus loudness derived from matching to the reconstructed tinnitus sound. This suggests to preferably use the reconstructed tinnitus spectrum to determine psychoacoustic tinnitus loudness. Results also support

  6. A Loudness Function for Maintaining Spectral Balance at Changing Sound Pressure Levels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Sofus Birkedal

    Our perception of loudness is a function of frequency as well as sound pressure level as described in ISO226:2003: Normal Equal Loudness Level Contours, which describes the needed sound pressure level for pure tones to be perceived equally loud. At a music performance, this is taking care...... of by the sound engineer by listening to the individual sound sources and adjust and equalize them to the wanted spectral balance including the whole chain of audio equipment and surroundings. At a live venue the sound pressure level will normally change during a concert, and typically increase over time......B is doubling of the effect to the loudspeakers). A level depending digital loudness function has been made based on ISO226:2003, and will be demonstrated. It can maintain the spectral balance at alternating levels and is based on fractional order digital filters. Tutorial. Abstract T3.3 (30th August 16:00 - 17...

  7. Galaxy evolution in extreme environments: Molecular gas content star formation and AGN in isolated void galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Mousumi; Iono, Daisuke; Saito, Toshiki; Subramanian, Smitha

    Since the early redshift surveys of the large scale structure of our universe, it has become clear that galaxies cluster along walls, sheet and filaments leaving large, empty regions called voids between them. Although voids represent the most under dense parts of our universe, they do contain a sparse but significant population of isolated galaxies that are generally low luminosity, late type disk galaxies. Recent studies show that most void galaxies have ongoing star formation and are in an early stage of evolution. We present radio, optical studies of the molecular gas content and star formation in a sample of void galaxies. Using SDSS data, we find that AGN are rare in these systems and are found only in the Bootes void; their black hole masses and radio properties are similar to bright spirals galaxies. Our studies suggest that close galaxy interactions and gas accretion are the main drivers of galaxy evolution in these systems despite their location in the underdense environment of the voids.

  8. The energetics of AGN radiation pressure-driven outflows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishibashi, W.; Fabian, A. C.; Maiolino, R.

    2018-05-01

    The increasing observational evidence of galactic outflows is considered as a sign of active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback in action. However, the physical mechanism responsible for driving the observed outflows remains unclear, and whether it is due to momentum, energy, or radiation is still a matter of debate. The observed outflow energetics, in particular the large measured values of the momentum ratio (\\dot{p}/(L/c) ˜ 10) and energy ratio (\\dot{E}_k/L ˜ 0.05), seems to favour the energy-driving mechanism; and most observational works have focused their comparison with wind energy-driven models. Here, we show that AGN radiation pressure on dust can adequately reproduce the observed outflow energetics (mass outflow rate, momentum flux, and kinetic power), as well as the scalings with luminosity, provided that the effects of radiation trapping are properly taken into account. In particular, we predict a sublinear scaling for the mass outflow rate (\\dot{M} ∝ L^{1/2}) and a superlinear scaling for the kinetic power (\\dot{E}_k ∝ L^{3/2}), in agreement with the observational scaling relations reported in the most recent compilation of AGN outflow data. We conclude that AGN radiative feedback can account for the global outflow energetics, at least equally well as the wind energy-driving mechanism, and therefore both physical models should be considered in the interpretation of future AGN outflow observations.

  9. Nuclear mid-infrared properties of nearby low-luminosity AGN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asmus, D; Duschl, W J; Hönig, S F; Gandhi, P; Smette, A

    2012-01-01

    We present ground-based high-spatial resolution mid-infrared (MIR) observations of 20 nearby low-luminosity AGN (LLAGN) with VLT/VISIR and the preliminary analysis of a new sample of 10 low-luminosity Seyferts observed with Gemini/Michelle. LLAGN are of great interest because these objects are the most common among active galaxies, especially in the nearby universe. Studying them in great detail makes it possible to investigate the AGN evolution over cosmic timescale. Indeed, many LLAGN likely represent the final stage of an AGN's lifetime. We show that even at low luminosities and accretion rates nuclear unresolved MIR emission is present in most objects. Compared to lower spatial resolution Spitzer/IRS spectra, the high-resolution MIR photometry exhibits significantly lower fluxes and different PAH emission feature properties in many cases. By using scaled Spitzer/IRS spectra of typical starburst galaxies, we show that the star formation contribution to the 12 μm emission is minor in the central parsecs of most LLAGN. Therefore, the observed MIR emission in the VISIR and Michelle data is most likely emitted by the AGN itself, which, for higher luminosity AGN, is interpreted as thermal emission from a dusty torus. Furthermore, the 12 /amemission of the LLAGN is strongly correlated with the absorption corrected 2-10 keV luminosity and the MIR- X-ray correlation found previously for AGN is extended to a range from 10 40 to 10 45 erg/s. This correlation is independent of the object type, and in particular the low-luminosity Seyferts observed with Michelle fall exactly on the power-law fit valid for brighter AGN. In addition, no dependency of the MIR-X-ray ratio on the accretion rate is found. These results are consistent with the unification model being applicable even in the probed low-luminosity regime.

  10. A MODEL FOR TYPE 2 CORONAL LINE FOREST (CLiF) AGNs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Glidden, Ana [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Rose, Marvin; Elvis, Martin; McDowell, Jonathan [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

    2016-06-10

    We present a model for the classification of Coronal Line Forest Active Galactic Nuclei (CLiF AGNs). CLiF AGNs are of special interest due to their remarkably large number of emission lines, especially forbidden high-ionization lines (FHILs). Rose et al. suggest that their emission is dominated by reflection from the inner wall of the obscuring region rather than direct emission from the accretion disk. This makes CLiF AGNs laboratories to test AGN-torus models. Modeling an AGN as an accreting supermassive black hole surrounded by a cylinder of dust and gas, we show a relationship between the viewing angle and the revealed area of the inner wall. From the revealed area, we can determine the amount of FHIL emission at various angles. We calculate the strength of [Fe vii] λ 6087 emission for a number of intermediate angles (30°, 40°, and 50°) and compare the results with the luminosity of the observed emission line from six known CLiF AGNs. We find that there is good agreement between our model and the observational results. The model also enables us to determine the relationship between the type 2:type 1 AGN fraction vs the ratio of torus height to radius, h / r .

  11. Can double-peaked lines indicate merging effects in AGNs?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Popović L.Č.

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available The influence of merging effects in the central part of an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN on the emission spectral line shapes are discussed. We present a model of close binary Broad Line Region. The numerical experiments show that the merging effects can explain double peaked lines. The merging effects may also be present in the center of AGNs, although they emit slightly asymmetric as well as symmetric and relatively stable (in profile shape spectral lines. Depending on the black hole masses and their orbit elements such model may explain some of the line profile shapes observed in AGNs. This work shows that if one is looking for the merging effects in the central region as well as in the wide field structure of AGNs, he should first pay attention to objects which have double peaked lines.

  12. 78 FR 70907 - Implementation of the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-27

    ... television industry can monitor and control the loudness level of digital TV programming. The rules took... references ITU-R BS.1770-3.''). As explained in the CALM Act Report and Order, the ITU-R BS.1770 measurement... includes improved guidance for measuring the loudness of surround programming in both its multichannel...

  13. Chapter 27: Deja vu All Over Again: Using NVO Tools to Re-Investigate a Complete Sample of Texas Radio Survey Sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lucas, Ray A.; Rohde, David; Tamura, Takayuki; van Dyne, Jeffrey

    At the first NVO Summer School in September 2004, a complete sample of Texas Radio Survey sources, first derived in 1989 and subsequently observed with the VLA in A-array snapshot mode in 1990, was revisited. The original investigators had never had the occasion to reduce the A-array 5-minute snapshot data, nor to do any other significant follow-up, though the sample still seemed a possibly useful but relatively small study of radio galaxies, AGN, quasars, extragalactic sources, and galaxy clusters, etc. At the time of the original sample definition in late 1989, the best optical material available for the region was the SRC-J plate from the UK Schmidt Telescope in Australia. In much more recent times, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey has included the region in its DR2 data release, so good multicolor optical imaging in a number of standard bandpasses has finally become available. These data, along with other material in the radio, infrared, and (where available) were used to get a better preliminary idea of the nature of the objects in the 1989 sample. We also investigated one of the original questions: whether these radio sources with steeper (or at least non-flat) radio spectra were associated with galaxy clusters, and in some cases higher-redshift galaxy clusters and AGN. A rudimentary web service was created which allowed the user to perform simple cone searches and SIAP image extractions of specified field sizes for multiwavelength data across the electromagnetic spectrum, and a prototype web page was set up which would display the resulting images in wavelength order across the page for sources in the sample. Finally, as an additional investigation, using radio and X-ray IDs as a proxy for AGN which might be associated with large, central cluster galaxies, positional matches of radio and X-ray sources from two much larger catalogs were done using the tool TOPCAT in order to search for the degree of correlation between ID positions, radio luminosity, and cluster

  14. Pitch and Loudness from Tinnitus in Individuals with Noise-induced Hearing Loss

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Flores, Leticia Sousa

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Tinnitus is one of the symptoms that affects individuals suffering from noise induced hearing loss. This condition can be disabling, leading the affected individual to turn away from work. Objective This literature review aims to analyze the possible association between gender and tinnitus pitch and loudness, the degree of hearing loss and the frequencies affected in subjects with noise-induced hearing loss. Methods This contemporary cohort study was conducted through a cross-sectional analysis. The study sample consisted of adults with unilateral or bilateral tinnitus, who had been diagnosed with noise-induced hearing loss. The patients under analysis underwent an otorhinolaryngological evaluation, pure tone audiometry, and acuphenometry. Results The study included 33 subjects with noise-induced hearing loss diagnoses, of which 22 (66.7% were men. Authors observed no statistical difference between gender and loudness/pitch tinnitus and loudness/pitch in subjects with bilateral tinnitus. Authors found an inverse relation between tinnitus loudness with intensity greater hearing threshold and the average of the thresholds and the grade of hearing loss. The tinnitus pitch showed no association with higher frequency of hearing threshold. Conclusion Data analysis shows that, among the individuals evaluated, the greater the hearing loss, the lower the loudness of tinnitus. We did not observe an association between hearing loss and tinnitus pitch.

  15. The AGN Luminosity Fraction in Galaxy Mergers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dietrich, Jeremy; Weiner, Aaron; Ashby, Matthew; Martinez-Galarza, Juan Rafael; Smith, Howard Alan

    2017-01-01

    Galaxy mergers are key events in galaxy evolution, generally triggering massive starbursts and AGNs. However, in these chaotic systems, it is not yet known what fraction each of these two mechanisms contributes to the total luminosity. Here we measure and model spectral energy distributions (SEDs) using the Code for Investigating Galaxy Emission (CIGALE) in up to 33 broad bands from the UV to the far-IR for 23 IR-luminous galaxies to estimate the fraction of the bolometric IR luminosity that can be attributed to the AGN. The galaxies are split nearly evenly into two subsamples: late-stage mergers, found in the IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample or Faint Source Catalog, and early-stage mergers found in the Spitzer Interacting Galaxy Sample. We find that the AGN contribution to the total IR luminosity varies greatly from system to system, from 0% up to ~90%, but is substantially greater in the later-stage and brighter mergers. This is consistent with what is known about galaxy evolution and the triggering of AGNs.The SAO REU program is funded in part by the National Science Foundation REU and Department of Defense ASSURE programs under NSF Grant no. 1262851, and by the Smithsonian Institution.

  16. Imprints of the large-scale structure on AGN formation and evolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porqueres, Natàlia; Jasche, Jens; Enßlin, Torsten A.; Lavaux, Guilhem

    2018-04-01

    Black hole masses are found to correlate with several global properties of their host galaxies, suggesting that black holes and galaxies have an intertwined evolution and that active galactic nuclei (AGN) have a significant impact on galaxy evolution. Since the large-scale environment can also affect AGN, this work studies how their formation and properties depend on the environment. We have used a reconstructed three-dimensional high-resolution density field obtained from a Bayesian large-scale structure reconstruction method applied to the 2M++ galaxy sample. A web-type classification relying on the shear tensor is used to identify different structures on the cosmic web, defining voids, sheets, filaments, and clusters. We confirm that the environmental density affects the AGN formation and their properties. We found that the AGN abundance is equivalent to the galaxy abundance, indicating that active and inactive galaxies reside in similar dark matter halos. However, occurrence rates are different for each spectral type and accretion rate. These differences are consistent with the AGN evolutionary sequence suggested by previous authors, Seyferts and Transition objects transforming into low-ionization nuclear emission line regions (LINERs), the weaker counterpart of Seyferts. We conclude that AGN properties depend on the environmental density more than on the web-type. More powerful starbursts and younger stellar populations are found in high densities, where interactions and mergers are more likely. AGN hosts show smaller masses in clusters for Seyferts and Transition objects, which might be due to gas stripping. In voids, the AGN population is dominated by the most massive galaxy hosts.

  17. Mid-infrared Variability of Changing-look AGNs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheng, Zhenfeng; Wang, Tinggui; Jiang, Ning; Yang, Chenwei; Peng, Bo; Yan, Lin; Dou, Liming

    2017-01-01

    It is known that some active galactic nuclei (AGNs) transit from Type 1 to Type 2 or vice versa. There are two explanations for the so-called changing-look AGNs: one is the dramatic change of the obscuration along the line of sight, and the other is the variation of accretion rate. In this Letter, we report the detection of large amplitude variations in the mid-infrared luminosity during the transitions in 10 changing-look AGNs using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer ( WISE ) and newly released Near-Earth Object WISE Reactivation data. The mid-infrared light curves of 10 objects echo the variability in the optical band with a time lag expected for dust reprocessing. The large variability amplitude is inconsistent with the scenario of varying obscuration, rather it supports the scheme of dramatic change in the accretion rate.

  18. Mid-infrared Variability of Changing-look AGNs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sheng, Zhenfeng; Wang, Tinggui; Jiang, Ning; Yang, Chenwei; Peng, Bo [CAS Key Laboratory for Researches in Galaxies and Cosmology, University of Sciences and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Yan, Lin [Caltech Optical Observatories, Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Dou, Liming, E-mail: shengzf@mail.ustc.edu.cn, E-mail: twang@ustc.edu.cn [Center for Astrophysics, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006 (China)

    2017-09-01

    It is known that some active galactic nuclei (AGNs) transit from Type 1 to Type 2 or vice versa. There are two explanations for the so-called changing-look AGNs: one is the dramatic change of the obscuration along the line of sight, and the other is the variation of accretion rate. In this Letter, we report the detection of large amplitude variations in the mid-infrared luminosity during the transitions in 10 changing-look AGNs using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer ( WISE ) and newly released Near-Earth Object WISE Reactivation data. The mid-infrared light curves of 10 objects echo the variability in the optical band with a time lag expected for dust reprocessing. The large variability amplitude is inconsistent with the scenario of varying obscuration, rather it supports the scheme of dramatic change in the accretion rate.

  19. Hypercat - Hypercube of Clumpy AGN Tori

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikutta, Robert; Lopez-Rodriguez, Enrique; Ichikawa, Kohei; Levenson, Nancy; Packham, Christopher C.

    2017-06-01

    Dusty tori surrounding the central engines of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are required by the Unification Paradigm, and are supported by many observations, e.g. variable nuclear absorber (sometimes Compton-thick) in X-rays, reverberation mapping in optical/UV, hot dust emission and SED shapes in NIR/MIR, molecular and cool-dust tori observed with ALMA in sub-mm.While models of AGN torus SEDs have been developed and utilized for a long time, the study of the resolved emission morphology (brightness maps) has so far been under-appreciated, presumably because resolved observations of the central parsec in AGN are only possible very recently. Currently, only NIR+MIR interferometry is capable of resolving the nuclear dust emission (but not of producing images, until MATISSE comes online). Furthermore, MIR interferometry has delivered also puzzling results, e.g. that in some resolved sources the light emanates preferentially from polar directions above the "torus" system, and not from the equatorial plane, where most of the dust is located.We are preparing the release of a panchromatic, fully interpolable hypercube of brightness maps and projected dust images for a large number of CLUMPY torus models (Nenkova+2008), that will help facilitate studies of resolved AGN emission and dust morphologies. Together with the cube we will release a comprehensive set of open-source tools (Python) that will enable researches to work efficiently with this large hypercube:* easy sub-cube selection + memory-mapping (mitigating the too-big-for-RAM problem)* multi-dim image interpolation (get an image at any wavelength & model parameter combination)* simulation of observations with telescopes (compute/provide + apply a PSF) and interferometers (get visibilities)* analyze images with respect to the power contained at all scales and orientations (via 2D steerable wavelets), addressing the seemingly puzzling results mentioned aboveA series of papers is in preparation, aiming at solving the

  20. POLARIZED EXTENDED Ly{alpha} EMISSION FROM A z = 2.3 RADIO GALAXY

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Humphrey, A. [Centro de Astrofisica da Universidade do Porto, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto (Portugal); Vernet, J.; Fosbury, R. A. E. [European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Villar-Martin, M. [Centro de Astrobiologia (INTA-CSIC), Carretera de Ajalvir, km 4, E-28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, Madrid (Spain); Di Serego Alighieri, S. [INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, L.go E. Fermi 5, I-50125 Firenze (Italy); Cimatti, A., E-mail: andrew.humphrey@astro.up.pt [Dipartimento di Astronomia, Universita di Bologna, Via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy)

    2013-05-01

    We present spatially resolved spectropolarimetric measurements of the 100 kpc scale gaseous environment of the z = 2.34 radio galaxy TXS 0211-122. The polarization level of the narrow Ly{alpha} emission is low centrally (P < 5%), but rises to P = 16.4% {+-} 4.6% in the eastern part of the nebula, indicating that the nebula is at least partly powered by the scattering of Ly{alpha} photons by H I. Not only is this the first detection of polarized Ly{alpha} around a radio-loud active galaxy, it is also the second detection to date for any kind of Ly{alpha} nebula. We also detect a pair of diametrically opposed UV continuum sources along the slit, at the outer edges of the Ly{alpha} nebula, which we suggest may be the limb of a dusty shell, related to the large-scale H I absorbers often associated with high-z radio galaxies.

  1. Modeling optical and UV polarization of AGNs. IV. Polarization timing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rojas Lobos, P. A.; Goosmann, R. W.; Marin, F.; Savić, D.

    2018-03-01

    Context. Optical observations cannot resolve the structure of active galactic nuclei (AGN), and a unified model for AGN was inferred mostly from indirect methods, such as spectroscopy and variability studies. Optical reverberation mapping allowed us to constrain the spatial dimension of the broad emission line region and thereby to measure the mass of supermassive black holes. Recently, reverberation was also applied to the polarized signal emerging from different AGN components. In principle, this should allow us to measure the spatial dimensions of the sub-parsec reprocessing media. Aim. We conduct numerical modeling of polarization reverberation and provide theoretical predictions for the polarization time lag induced by different AGN components. The model parameters are adjusted to the observational appearance of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151. Methods: We modeled scattering-induced polarization and tested different geometries for the circumnuclear dust component. Our tests included the effects of clumpiness and different dust prescriptions. To further extend the model, we also explored the effects of additional ionized winds stretched along the polar direction, and of an equatorial scattering ring that is responsible for the polarization angle observed in pole-on AGN. The simulations were run using a time-dependent version of the STOKES code. Results: Our modeling confirms the previously found polarization characteristics as a function of the observer`s viewing angle. When the dust adopts a flared-disk geometry, the lags reveal a clear difference between type 1 and type 2 AGN. This distinction is less clear for a torus geometry where the time lag is more sensitive to the geometry and optical depth of the inner surface layers of the funnel. The presence of a scattering equatorial ring and ionized outflows increased the recorded polarization time lags, and the polar outflows smooths out dependence on viewing angle, especially for the higher optical depth of the

  2. Loud Noise Exposure Produces DNA, Neurotransmitter and Morphological Damage within Specific Brain Areas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giada Frenzilli

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Exposure to loud noise is a major environmental threat to public health. Loud noise exposure, apart from affecting the inner ear, is deleterious for cardiovascular, endocrine and nervous systems and it is associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. In this study we investigated DNA, neurotransmitters and immune-histochemical alterations induced by exposure to loud noise in three major brain areas (cerebellum, hippocampus, striatum of Wistar rats. Rats were exposed to loud noise (100 dBA for 12 h. The effects of noise on DNA integrity in all three brain areas were evaluated by using Comet assay. In parallel studies, brain monoamine levels and morphology of nigrostriatal pathways, hippocampus and cerebellum were analyzed at different time intervals (24 h and 7 days after noise exposure. Loud noise produced a sudden increase in DNA damage in all the brain areas under investigation. Monoamine levels detected at 7 days following exposure were differently affected depending on the specific brain area. Namely, striatal but not hippocampal dopamine (DA significantly decreased, whereas hippocampal and cerebellar noradrenaline (NA was significantly reduced. This is in line with pathological findings within striatum and hippocampus consisting of a decrease in striatal tyrosine hydroxylase (TH combined with increased Bax and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP. Loud noise exposure lasting 12 h causes immediate DNA, and long-lasting neurotransmitter and immune-histochemical alterations within specific brain areas of the rat. These alterations may suggest an anatomical and functional link to explain the neurobiology of diseases which prevail in human subjects exposed to environmental noise.

  3. The Swift BAT Hard X-ray Survey - A New Window on the Local AGN Universe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mushotzky, Richard

    2009-01-01

    The Swift Burst and Transient telescope (BAT) has surveyed the entire sky for the last 3.5 years obtaining the first sensitive all sky survey of the 14-195 keV sky. At high galactic latitudes the vast majority of the detected sources are AGN. Since hard x-rays penetrate all but Compton thick obscuring material (Column densities of 1.6E24 atms/cm2) this survey is unbiased with respect to obscuration, host galaxy type, optical , radio or IR properties. We will present results on the broad band x-ray properties, the nature of the host galaxies, the luminosity function and will discuss a few of the optical, IR and x-ray results in detail.

  4. Social Representation of "Loud Music" in Young Adults: A Cross-Cultural Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manchaiah, Vinaya; Zhao, Fei; Widen, Stephen; Auzenne, Jasmin; Beukes, Eldré W; Ahmadi, Tayebeh; Tomé, David; Mahadeva, Deepthi; Krishna, Rajalakshmi; Germundsson, Per

    2017-06-01

    Exposure to recreational noise, particularly music exposure, is considered one of the biggest public health hazards of our time. Some important influencing factors such as socioeconomic status, educational background, and cross-cultural perspectives have previously been found to be associated with attitudes toward loud music and the use of hearing protection. Although culture seems to play an important role, there is relatively little known about how it influences perceptions regarding loud music exposure in young adults. The present study was aimed to explore cross-cultural perceptions of and reactions to loud music in young adults (18-25 yr) using the theory of social representations. The study used a cross-sectional survey design. The study sample included young adults (n = 534) from five different countries (India, Iran, Portugal, the United States, and the United Kingdom) who were recruited using convenience sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using a content analysis, co-occurrence analysis, and also χ² analysis. Fairly equal numbers of positive and negative connotations (∼40%) were noted in all countries. However, the χ² analysis showed significant differences between the countries (most positive connotations were found in India and Iran, whereas the most negative connotations were found in the United Kingdom and Portugal) regarding the informants' perception of loud music. The co-occurrence analysis results generally indicate that the category "negative emotions and actions" occurred most frequently, immediately followed by the category "positive emotions and actions." The other most frequently occurring categories included "acoustics," "physical aliment," "location," and "ear and hearing problems." These six categories formed the central nodes of the social representation of loud music exposure in the global index. Although some similarities and differences were noted among the social representations toward loud

  5. X-Rays and Infrared Selected AGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirhakos, S. D.; Steiner, J. E.

    1990-11-01

    RESUMEN. En la busqueda de nucleos activos galacticos (NAG) oscurecidos, seleccionamos una tnuestra de galaxias ernisoras de rayos S infrarrojos, Ia mayoria de las cuales son vistas de perf ii. La 6ptica de la regi6n nuclear de las galaxias seleccionadas revelan que el 76% de ellas muestran lineas de emisi5n La clasificaci6n de los es- pectros de acuerdo a los anchos y a la intensidad de cocientes de lineas muestran que existen 34 NAG, 34 objetos de tipo de transici6n y 34 galaxias de la regi6n con nucleos de tipo regi6n H II. Entre los NAG, 3 son del tipo Seyfert I y las otras son del tipo 2. Sugerimos que los objetos identificados como NAG de llneas angostas son objetos tipo Seyfert I oscurecidos ABSTRACT. Looking for obscured active galactic nuclei (AGN), we selected a sample of infrarediX-rays emitting galaxies, mos"t of which are seen as edge-on. Optical spectroscopy of the nuclear region of the selected galaxies revealed that 76 % of them show emission l 'nes. Classification of the spectra according to the widths and line intensity ratios shows that there are 34 AGN, 34 transition type objects and 43 nuclear HIl-like region galaxies. Among the AGN, three are Seyfert type 1 and the others are type 2 objects. We suggest that the objects identified as narrow line AGN are obscured Seyfert 1. o'L : GALAXIES-ACTIVE - X-RAY S-GENERAL

  6. Too Loud for Too Long! PSA (:60)

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This 60 second public service announcement is based on the February 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. Being around too much loud noise-like a leaf blower or rock concert-can cause permanent hearing loss. Learn how to prevent hearing loss.

  7. Morphology of AGN Emission Line Regions in SDSS-IV MaNGA Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Zhicheng; Sun, Ai-Lei; Zakamska, Nadia L.; Wylezalek, Dominika; Kelly, Michael; Greene, Jenny E.; Rembold, Sandro B.; Riffel, Rogério; Riffel, Rogemar A.

    2018-05-01

    Extended narrow-line regions (NLRs) around active galactic nuclei (AGN) are shaped by the distribution of gas in the host galaxy and by the geometry of the circumnuclear obscuration, and thus they can be used to test the AGN unification model. In this work, we quantify the morphologies of the narrow-line regions in 308 nearby AGNs (z = 0 - 0.14, Lbol˜1042.4 - 44.1 erg s-1) from the MaNGA survey. Based on the narrow-line region maps, we find that a large fraction (81%) of these AGN have bi-conical NLR morphology. The distribution of their measured opening angles suggests that the intrinsic opening angles of the ionization cones has a mean value of 85-98° with a finite spread of 39-44° (1-σ). Our inferred opening angle distribution implies a number ratio of type I to type II AGN of 1:1.6-2.3, consistent with other measurements of the type I / type II ratio at low AGN luminosities. Combining these measurements with the WISE photometry data, we find that redder mid-IR color (lower effective temperature of dust) corresponds to stronger and narrower photo-ionized bicones. This relation is in agreement with the unification model that suggests that the bi-conical narrow-line regions are shaped by a toroidal dusty structure within a few pc from the AGN. Furthermore, we find a significant alignment between the minor axis of host galaxy disks and AGN ionization cones. Together, these findings suggest that obscuration on both circumnuclear (˜pc) and galactic (˜ kpc) scales are important in shaping and orienting the AGN narrow-line regions.

  8. Acoustical topology optimization for Zwicker's loudness model - Application to noise barriers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kook, Junghwan; Koo, Kunmo; Hyun, Jaeyub

    2012-01-01

    acoustic properties may not represent adequate parameters for optimizing acoustic devices. In this paper, we first present a design method for acoustical topology optimization by considering human's subjective conception of sound. To consider human hearing characteristics. Zwicker's loudness is calculated...... according to DIN45631 (ISO 532B). The main objective of this work is to minimize the main specific loudness of a target critical band rate by optimizing the distribution of the reflecting material in a design domain. The Helmholtz equation is used to model acoustic wave propagation and, it is solved using...... the finite element method. The sensitivity of the main specific loudness is calculated using the adjoint variable method and the chain rule. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, various examples of noise barriers are presented with different source and receiver locations. The results...

  9. UNRAVELLING THE COMPLEX STRUCTURE OF AGN-DRIVEN OUTFLOWS. II. PHOTOIONIZATION AND ENERGETICS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karouzos, Marios; Woo, Jong-Hak [Astronomy Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Bae, Hyun-Jin, E-mail: woo@astro.snu.ac.kr [Department of Astronomy and Center for Galaxy EVolution Research, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-12-20

    Outflows have been shown to be prevalent in galaxies hosting luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs); they present a physically plausible way to couple the AGN energy output with the interstellar medium of their hosts. Despite their prevalence, accurate characterization of these outflows has been challenging. In the second of a series of papers, we use Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph integral field unit (IFU) data of six local ( z  < 0.1) and moderate-luminosity Type 2 AGNs to study the ionization properties and energetics of AGN-driven outflows. We find strong evidence connecting the extreme kinematics of the ionized gas to the AGN photoionization. The kinematic component related to the AGN-driven outflow is clearly separated from other kinematic components, such as virial motions or rotation, on the velocity and velocity dispersion diagram. Our spatially resolved kinematic analysis reveals that 30 to 90% of the total mass and kinetic energy of the outflow is contained within the central kpc of the galaxy. The spatially integrated mass and kinetic energy of the gas entrained in the outflow correlate well with the AGN bolometric luminosity and results in energy conversion efficiencies between 0.01% and 1%. Intriguingly, we detect ubiquitous signs of ongoing circumnuclear star formation. Their small size, the centrally contained mass and energy, and the universally detected circumnuclear star formation cast doubts on the potency of these AGN-driven outflows as agents of galaxy-scale negative feedback.

  10. AGN Outflow Shocks on Bonnor–Ebert Spheres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dugan, Zachary; Silk, Joseph; Rahman, Mubdi [The Johns Hopkins University Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bloomberg Center for Physics and Astronomy, Room 366, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Gaibler, Volker [Universität Heidelberg, Zentrum für Astronomie, Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik, Albert-Ueberle-Str. 2, D-69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Bieri, Rebekka [Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, UMR 7095, CNRS, UPMC Univ. Paris VI, 98 bis Boulevard Arago, F-75014 Paris (France)

    2017-04-20

    Feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and subsequent jet cocoons and outflow bubbles can have a significant impact on star formation in the host galaxy. To investigate feedback physics on small scales, we perform hydrodynamic simulations of realistically fast AGN winds striking Bonnor–Ebert spheres and examine gravitational collapse and ablation. We test AGN wind velocities ranging from 300 to 3000 km s{sup −1} and wind densities ranging from 0.5 to 10 m {sub p} cm{sup −3}. We include heating and cooling of low- and high-temperature gas, self-gravity, and spatially correlated perturbations in the shock, with a maximum resolution of 0.01 pc. We find that the ram pressure is the most important factor that determines the fate of the cloud. High ram pressure winds increase fragmentation and decrease the star formation rate, but they also cause star formation to occur on a much shorter timescale and with increased velocities of the newly formed stars. We find a threshold ram pressure of ∼2 × 10{sup −8} dyn cm{sup −2} above which stars are not formed because the resulting clumps have internal velocities large enough to prevent collapse. Our results indicate that simultaneous positive and negative feedback will be possible in a single galaxy, as AGN wind parameters will vary with location within a galaxy.

  11. PRIMUS: THE DEPENDENCE OF AGN ACCRETION ON HOST STELLAR MASS AND COLOR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aird, James; Coil, Alison L.; Moustakas, John; Smith, M. Stephen M. [Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, Department of Physics, University of California, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093 (United States); Blanton, Michael R.; Zhu Guangtun [Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, Department of Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003 (United States); Burles, Scott M. [D.E. Shaw and Co., L.P., 20400 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 850, Cupertino, CA 95014 (United States); Cool, Richard J. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Peyton Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Eisenstein, Daniel J. [Harvard College Observatory, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Wong, Kenneth C. [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)

    2012-02-10

    We present evidence that the incidence of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and the distribution of their accretion rates do not depend on the stellar masses of their host galaxies, contrary to previous studies. We use hard (2-10 keV) X-ray data from three extragalactic fields (XMM-LSS, COSMOS, and ELAIS-S1) with redshifts from the Prism Multi-object Survey to identify 242 AGNs with L{sub 2-10keV} = 10{sup 42-44} erg s{sup -1} within a parent sample of {approx}25,000 galaxies at 0.2 < z < 1.0 over {approx}3.4 deg{sup 2} and to i {approx} 23. We find that although the fraction of galaxies hosting an AGN at fixed X-ray luminosity rises strongly with stellar mass, the distribution of X-ray luminosities is independent of mass. Furthermore, we show that the probability that a galaxy will host an AGN can be defined by a universal Eddington ratio distribution that is independent of the host galaxy stellar mass and has a power-law shape with slope -0.65. These results demonstrate that AGNs are prevalent at all stellar masses in the range 9.5< log M{sub *}/M{sub sun}<12 and that the same physical processes regulate AGN activity in all galaxies in this stellar mass range. While a higher AGN fraction may be observed in massive galaxies, this is a selection effect related to the underlying Eddington ratio distribution. We also find that the AGN fraction drops rapidly between z {approx} 1 and the present day and is moderately enhanced (factor {approx}2) in galaxies with blue or green optical colors. Consequently, while AGN activity and star formation appear to be globally correlated, we do not find evidence that the presence of an AGN is related to the quenching of star formation or the color transformation of galaxies.

  12. Directional loudness in an anechoic sound field, head-related transfer functions, and binaural summation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sivonen, Ville Pekka; Ellermeier, Wolfgang

    2006-01-01

    planes. Matches were obtained via a two-interval, adaptive forced-choice (2AFC) procedure for three center frequencies (0.4, 1 and 5 kHz) and two overall levels (45 and 65 dB SPL). The results showed that loudness is not constant over sound incidence angles, with directional sensitivity varying over......The effect of sound incidence angle on loudness was investigated using real sound sources positioned in an anechoic chamber. Eight normal-hearing listeners produced loudness matches between a frontal reference location and seven sources placed at other directions, both in the horizontal and median...... a range of up to 10 dB, exhibiting considerable frequency dependence, but only minor effects of overall level. The pattern of results varied substantially between subjects, but was largely accounted for by variations in individual head-related transfer functions. Modeling of binaural loudness based...

  13. Neutron model for the formation of AGN jets with Cetral Radio Gap ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In this work, there has been an attempt to explain the formation of jets in some radio sources with gaps at their centers using the neutron “production-to-decay” process. The jet-light-up point is taken to coincide with the end of the lifetime of the neutrons. Calculated intrinsic opening angles for the jets of the selected Active ...

  14. Long-term radio and X-ray evolution of the tidal disruption event ASASSN-14li

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bright, J. S.; Fender, R. P.; Motta, S. E.; Mooley, K.; Perrott, Y. C.; van Velzen, S.; Carey, S.; Hickish, J.; Razavi-Ghods, N.; Titterington, D.; Scott, P.; Grainge, K.; Scaife, A.; Cantwell, T.; Rumsey, C.

    2018-04-01

    We report on late time radio and X-ray observations of the tidal disruption event candidate ASASSN-14li, covering the first 1000 d of the decay phase. For the first ˜200 d the radio and X-ray emission fade in concert. This phase is better fitted by an exponential decay at X-ray wavelengths, while the radio emission is well described by either an exponential or the canonical t-5/3 decay assumed for tidal disruption events. The correlation between radio and X-ray emission during this period can be fitted as L_R∝ L_X^{1.9± 0.2}. After 400 d the radio emission at 15.5 GHz has reached a plateau level of 244 ± 8 μJy which it maintains for at least the next 600 d, while the X-ray emission continues to fade exponentially. This steady level of radio emission is likely due to relic radio lobes from the weak AGN-like activity implied by historical radio observations. We note that while most existing models are based upon the evolution of ejecta which are decoupled from the central black hole, the radio-X-ray correlation during the declining phase is also consistent with core-jet emission coupled to a radiatively efficient accretion flow.

  15. Compton Reflection in AGN with Simbol-X

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beckmann, V.; Courvoisier, T. J.-L.; Gehrels, N.; Lubiński, P.; Malzac, J.; Petrucci, P. O.; Shrader, C. R.; Soldi, S.

    2009-05-01

    AGN exhibit complex hard X-ray spectra. Our current understanding is that the emission is dominated by inverse Compton processes which take place in the corona above the accretion disk, and that absorption and reflection in a distant absorber play a major role. These processes can be directly observed through the shape of the continuum, the Compton reflection hump around 30 keV, and the iron fluorescence line at 6.4 keV. We demonstrate the capabilities of Simbol-X to constrain complex models for cases like MCG-05-23-016, NGC 4151, NGC 2110, and NGC 4051 in short (10 ksec) observations. We compare the simulations with recent observations on these sources by INTEGRAL, Swift and Suzaku. Constraining reflection models for AGN with Simbol-X will help us to get a clear view of the processes and geometry near to the central engine in AGN, and will give insight to which sources are responsible for the Cosmic X-ray background at energies >20 keV.

  16. Compton-thick AGN at high and low redshift

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akylas, A.; Georgantopoulos, I.; Corral, A.; Ranalli, P.; Lanzuisi, G.

    2017-10-01

    The most obscured sources detected in X-ray surveys, the Compton-thick AGN present great interest both because they represent the hidden side of accretion but also because they may signal the AGN birth. We analyse the NUSTAR observations from the serendipitous observations in order to study the Compton-thick AGN at the deepest possible ultra-hard band (>10 keV). We compare our results with our SWIFT/BAT findings in the local Universe, as well as with our results in the CDFS and COSMOS fields. We discuss the comparison with X-ray background synthesis models finding that a low fraction of Compton-thick sources (about 15 per cent of the obscured population) is compatible with both the 2-10keV band results and those at harder energies.

  17. TANAMI: Tracking Active Galactic Nuclei with Austral Milliarcsecond Interferometry. II. Additional sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, C.; Kadler, M.; Ojha, R.; Schulz, R.; Trüstedt, J.; Edwards, P. G.; Ros, E.; Carpenter, B.; Angioni, R.; Blanchard, J.; Böck, M.; Burd, P. R.; Dörr, M.; Dutka, M. S.; Eberl, T.; Gulyaev, S.; Hase, H.; Horiuchi, S.; Katz, U.; Krauß, F.; Lovell, J. E. J.; Natusch, T.; Nesci, R.; Phillips, C.; Plötz, C.; Pursimo, T.; Quick, J. F. H.; Stevens, J.; Thompson, D. J.; Tingay, S. J.; Tzioumis, A. K.; Weston, S.; Wilms, J.; Zensus, J. A.

    2018-02-01

    Context. TANAMI is a multiwavelength program monitoring active galactic nuclei (AGN) south of - 30° declination including high-resolution very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) imaging, radio, optical/UV, X-ray, and γ-ray studies. We have previously published first-epoch8.4 GHz VLBI images of the parsec-scale structure of the initial sample. In this paper, we present images of 39 additional sources. The full sample comprises most of the radio- and γ-ray brightest AGN in the southern quarter of the sky, overlapping with the region from which high-energy (> 100 TeV) neutrino events have been found. Aims: We characterize the parsec-scale radio properties of the jets and compare them with the quasi-simultaneous Fermi/LAT γ-ray data. Furthermore, we study the jet properties of sources which are in positional coincidence with high-energy neutrino events compared to the full sample. We test the positional agreement of high-energy neutrino events with various AGN samples. Methods: TANAMI VLBI observations at 8.4 GHz are made with southern hemisphere radio telescopes located in Australia, Antarctica, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa. Results: Our observations yield the first images of many jets below - 30° declination at milliarcsecond resolution. We find that γ-ray loud TANAMI sources tend to be more compact on parsec-scales and have higher core brightness temperatures than γ-ray faint jets, indicating higher Doppler factors. No significant structural difference is found between sources in positional coincidence with high-energy neutrino events and other TANAMI jets. The 22 γ-ray brightest AGN in the TANAMI sky show only a weak positional agreement with high-energy neutrinos demonstrating that the > 100 TeV IceCube signal is not simply dominated by a small number of the γ-ray brightest blazars. Instead, a larger number of sources have to contribute to the signal with each individual source having only a small Poisson probability for producing an event in

  18. Evolution of radio quasars from redshift 0.6-3.7

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neff, S.G.; Hutchings, J.B.

    1990-01-01

    This paper presents the results of VLA radio imaging of 58 radio-loud quasars with redshift 2.0 or higher, which fill the redshift-luminosity plane as evenly as possible. This work completes a survey of about 250 quasars covering redshifts from 0.6-3.7, which attempts to sample luminosity and look-back time in a uniform way. Within the constraints of possible selection effects it is found that the relative population of extended and unresolved sources changes with redshift in a way that suggests that radio quasars may live longer and spend more time as large triple sources in the present epoch than in the earlier universe. There appear to be few low-luminosity radio quasars at high redshift. Ejection of material appears to occur on one side at a time, with usually at least one reversal of direction in the source lifetime. The velocity of ejection appears to be mildly relativistic at high redshift, but of lower velocity in the present epoch. There is also evidence suggestive of changes in the IGM with cosmic time; however, the data presented do not show the minimum in density at z about 2 that has been suggested for cluster environments. 11 refs

  19. Radio-interferometric Monitoring of FRB 131104: A Coincident AGN Flare, but No Evidence for a Cosmic Fireball

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shannon, R. M. [CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Australia Telescope National Facility, Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710 (Australia); Ravi, V., E-mail: ryan.shannon@csiro.au, E-mail: vikram@caltech.edu [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, MC 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

    2017-03-10

    The localization of fast radio bursts (FRBs) has been hindered by the poor angular resolution of the detection observations and inconclusive identification of transient or variable counterparts. Recently a γ -ray pulse of 380 s duration has been associated with FRB 131104. We report on radio-continuum imaging observations of the original localization region of the FRB, beginning three days after the event and comprising 25 epochs over 2.5 years. We argue that the probability of an association between the FRB and the γ -ray transient has been overestimated. We provide upper limits on radio afterglow emission that would be predicted if the γ -ray transient was associated with an energetic γ -ray burst. We further report the discovery of an unusual variable radio source spatially and temporally coincident with FRB 131104, but not spatially coincident with the γ -ray event. The radio variable flares by a factor of 3 above its long-term average within 10 day of the FRB at 7.5 GHz, with a factor-of-2 increase at 5.5 GHz. Since the flare, the variable has persisted with only modest modulation and never approached the flux density observed in the days after the FRB. We identify an optical counterpart to the variable. Optical and infrared photometry, and deep optical spectroscopy, suggest that the object is a narrow-line radio active galactic nucleus.

  20. Radio-interferometric Monitoring of FRB 131104: A Coincident AGN Flare, but No Evidence for a Cosmic Fireball

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shannon, R. M.; Ravi, V.

    2017-01-01

    The localization of fast radio bursts (FRBs) has been hindered by the poor angular resolution of the detection observations and inconclusive identification of transient or variable counterparts. Recently a γ -ray pulse of 380 s duration has been associated with FRB 131104. We report on radio-continuum imaging observations of the original localization region of the FRB, beginning three days after the event and comprising 25 epochs over 2.5 years. We argue that the probability of an association between the FRB and the γ -ray transient has been overestimated. We provide upper limits on radio afterglow emission that would be predicted if the γ -ray transient was associated with an energetic γ -ray burst. We further report the discovery of an unusual variable radio source spatially and temporally coincident with FRB 131104, but not spatially coincident with the γ -ray event. The radio variable flares by a factor of 3 above its long-term average within 10 day of the FRB at 7.5 GHz, with a factor-of-2 increase at 5.5 GHz. Since the flare, the variable has persisted with only modest modulation and never approached the flux density observed in the days after the FRB. We identify an optical counterpart to the variable. Optical and infrared photometry, and deep optical spectroscopy, suggest that the object is a narrow-line radio active galactic nucleus.

  1. Continuous loudness response to acoustic intensity dynamics in melodies: effects of melodic contour, tempo, and tonality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsen, Kirk N; Stevens, Catherine J; Dean, Roger T; Bailes, Freya

    2014-06-01

    The aim of this work was to investigate perceived loudness change in response to melodies that increase (up-ramp) or decrease (down-ramp) in acoustic intensity, and the interaction with other musical factors such as melodic contour, tempo, and tonality (tonal/atonal). A within-subjects design manipulated direction of linear intensity change (up-ramp, down-ramp), melodic contour (ascending, descending), tempo, and tonality, using single ramp trials and paired ramp trials, where single up-ramps and down-ramps were assembled to create continuous up-ramp/down-ramp or down-ramp/up-ramp pairs. Twenty-nine (Exp 1) and thirty-six (Exp 2) participants rated loudness continuously in response to trials with monophonic 13-note piano melodies lasting either 6.4s or 12s. Linear correlation coefficients >.89 between loudness and time show that time-series loudness responses to dynamic up-ramp and down-ramp melodies are essentially linear across all melodies. Therefore, 'indirect' loudness change derived from the difference in loudness at the beginning and end points of the continuous response was calculated. Down-ramps were perceived to change significantly more in loudness than up-ramps in both tonalities and at a relatively slow tempo. Loudness change was also greater for down-ramps presented with a congruent descending melodic contour, relative to an incongruent pairing (down-ramp and ascending melodic contour). No differential effect of intensity ramp/melodic contour congruency was observed for up-ramps. In paired ramp trials assessing the possible impact of ramp context, loudness change in response to up-ramps was significantly greater when preceded by down-ramps, than when not preceded by another ramp. Ramp context did not affect down-ramp perception. The contribution to the fields of music perception and psychoacoustics are discussed in the context of real-time perception of music, principles of music composition, and performance of musical dynamics. Copyright © 2014

  2. Practical Ranges of Loudness Levels of Various Types of Environmental Noise, Including Traffic Noise, Aircraft Noise, and Industrial Noise

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabine A. Janssen

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available In environmental noise control one commonly employs the A-weighted sound level as an approximate measure of the effect of noise on people. A measure that is more closely related to direct human perception of noise is the loudness level. At constant A-weighted sound level, the loudness level of a noise signal varies considerably with the shape of the frequency spectrum of the noise signal. In particular the bandwidth of the spectrum has a large effect on the loudness level, due to the effect of critical bands in the human hearing system. The low-frequency content of the spectrum also has an effect on the loudness level. In this note the relation between loudness level and A-weighted sound level is analyzed for various environmental noise spectra, including spectra of traffic noise, aircraft noise, and industrial noise. From loudness levels calculated for these environmental noise spectra, diagrams are constructed that show the relation between loudness level, A‑weighted sound level, and shape of the spectrum. The diagrams show that the upper limits of the loudness level for broadband environmental noise spectra are about 20 to 40 phon higher than the lower limits for narrowband spectra, which correspond to the loudness levels of pure tones. The diagrams are useful for assessing limitations and potential improvements of environmental noise control methods and policy based on A-weighted sound levels.

  3. Electrical field imaging as a means to predict the loudness of monopolar and tripolar stimuli in cochlear implant patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berenstein, Carlo K; Vanpoucke, Filiep J; Mulder, Jef J S; Mens, Lucas H M

    2010-12-01

    Tripolar and other electrode configurations that use simultaneous stimulation inside the cochlea have been tested to reduce channel interactions compared to the monopolar stimulation conventionally used in cochlear implant systems. However, these "focused" configurations require increased current levels to achieve sufficient loudness. In this study, we investigate whether highly accurate recordings of the intracochlear electrical field set up by monopolar and tripolar configurations correlate to their effect on loudness. We related the intra-scalar potential distribution to behavioral loudness, by introducing a free parameter (α) which parameterizes the degree to which the potential field peak set up inside the scala tympani is still present at the location of the targeted neural tissue. Loudness balancing was performed on four levels between behavioral threshold and the most comfortable loudness level in a group of 10 experienced Advanced Bionics cochlear implant users. The effect of the amount of focusing on loudness was well explained by α per subject location along the basilar membrane. We found that α was unaffected by presentation level. Moreover, the ratios between the monopolar and tripolar currents, balanced for equal loudness, were approximately the same for all presentation levels. This suggests a linear loudness growth with increasing current level and that the equal peak hypothesis may predict the loudness of threshold as well as at supra-threshold levels. These results suggest that advanced electrical field imaging, complemented with limited psychophysical testing, more specifically at only one presentation level, enables estimation of the loudness growth of complex electrode configurations. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. The cosmic evolution of massive black holes in the Horizon-AGN simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volonteri, M.; Dubois, Y.; Pichon, C.; Devriendt, J.

    2016-08-01

    We analyse the demographics of black holes (BHs) in the large-volume cosmological hydrodynamical simulation Horizon-AGN. This simulation statistically models how much gas is accreted on to BHs, traces the energy deposited into their environment and, consequently, the back-reaction of the ambient medium on BH growth. The synthetic BHs reproduce a variety of observational constraints such as the redshift evolution of the BH mass density and the mass function. Strong self-regulation via AGN feedback, weak supernova feedback, and unresolved internal processes result in a tight BH-galaxy mass correlation. Starting at z ˜ 2, tidal stripping creates a small population of BHs over-massive with respect to the halo. The fraction of galaxies hosting a central BH or an AGN increases with stellar mass. The AGN fraction agrees better with multi-wavelength studies, than single-wavelength ones, unless obscuration is taken into account. The most massive haloes present BH multiplicity, with additional BHs gained by ongoing or past mergers. In some cases, both a central and an off-centre AGN shine concurrently, producing a dual AGN. This dual AGN population dwindles with decreasing redshift, as found in observations. Specific accretion rate and Eddington ratio distributions are in good agreement with observational estimates. The BH population is dominated in turn by fast, slow, and very slow accretors, with transitions occurring at z = 3 and z = 2, respectively.

  5. The AGN nature of LINER nuclear sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Márquez, Isabel; Masegosa, Josefa; González-Martin, Omaira; Hernández-Garcia, Lorena; Pović, Mirjana; Netzer, Hagai; Cazzoli, Sara; del Olmo, Ascensión

    2017-11-01

    Low-ionization nuclear emission-line regions (LINERs) are specially interesting objects since not only they represent the most numerous local Active Galactic Nuclei population, but they could be the link between normal and active galaxies as suggested by their low X-ray luminosities. The origin of LINER nuclei being still controversial, our works, through a multiwavelength approach, have contributed, firstly, to confirm that a large number of nuclear LINERs in the local universe are AGN powered. Secondly, from the study of X-ray spectral variability, we found that long term variations are very common, and they are mostly related to hard energies (2-10 keV). These variations might be due to changes in the absorber and/or intrinsic variations of the source. Thirdly, Mid-infrared (MIR) imaging also indicates that LINERs are the low luminosity end of AGN towards lower luminosities, and MIR spectroscopy shows that the average spectrum of AGN-dominated LINERs with X-ray luminosities L_X(2-10 keV) > 10^{41} erg/s is similar to the average mid-IR spectrum of AGN-dominated Seyfert 2s; for fainter LINERS, their spectral shape suggests that the dusty-torus may disappear. Fourth, the extended Hα emission of LINERs at HST resolution indicates that they follow remarkably well the Narrow Line Region morphology and the luminosity-size relation obtained for Seyfert and QSOs; HST Hα morphology may suggest the presence of outflows, which could contribute to the line broadening, with the resulting consequences on the percentage of LINERs where the Broad Line Region is detected. This issue is being revisited by our group with a high spectral resolution set of optical data for nearby type-1 LINERs. Finally, concerning systematic studies on the role of star formation in LINERs, which are scarce, our contribution deals with the study of a sample of the most luminous, highest star formation rate LINERs in the local Universe (at z from 0.04 to 0.11), together with its comparison with both

  6. The AGN Nature of LINER Nuclear Sources

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Márquez, Isabel; Masegosa, Josefa [Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (CSIC), Granada (Spain); González-Martin, Omaira [Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia (Mexico); Hernández-Garcia, Lorena [Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Rome (Italy); Pović, Mirjana [Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (CSIC), Granada (Spain); Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute and Entoto Observatory and Research Center, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia); Netzer, Hagai [Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, School of Physics and Astronomy and the Wise Observatory, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv (Israel); Cazzoli, Sara; Olmo, Ascensión del, E-mail: isabel@iaa.es [Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (CSIC), Granada (Spain)

    2017-11-16

    Low-ionization nuclear emission-line regions (LINERs) are specially interesting objects since not only they represent the most numerous local Active Galactic Nuclei population, but they could be the link between normal and active galaxies as suggested by their low X-ray luminosities. The origin of LINER nuclei being still controversial, our works, through a multiwavelength approach, have contributed, firstly, to confirm that a large number of nuclear LINERs in the local universe are AGN powered. Secondly, from the study of X-ray spectral variability, we found that long term variations are very common, and they are mostly related to hard energies (2–10keV). These variations might be due to changes in the absorber and/or intrinsic variations of the source. Thirdly, Mid-infrared (MIR) imaging also indicates that LINERs are the low luminosity end of AGN toward lower luminosities, and MIR spectroscopy shows that the average spectrum of AGN-dominated LINERs with X-ray luminosities L{sub X}(2–10 keV) > 10{sup 41} erg/s is similar to the average mid-IR spectrum of AGN-dominated Seyfert 2s; for fainter LINERS, their spectral shape suggests that the dusty-torus may disappear. Fourth, the extended Hα emission of LINERs at HST resolution indicates that they follow remarkably well the Narrow Line Region morphology and the luminosity-size relation obtained for Seyfert and QSOs; HST Hα morphology may suggest the presence of outflows, which could contribute to the line broadening, with the resulting consequences on the percentage of LINERs where the Broad Line Region is detected. This issue is being revisited by our group with a high spectral resolution set of optical data for nearby type-1 LINERs. Finally, concerning systematic studies on the role of star formation in LINERs, which are scarce, our contribution deals with the study of a sample of the most luminous, highest star formation rate LINERs in the local Universe (at z from 0.04 to 0.11), together with its comparison

  7. The AGN Nature of LINER Nuclear Sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Márquez, Isabel; Masegosa, Josefa; González-Martin, Omaira; Hernández-Garcia, Lorena; Pović, Mirjana; Netzer, Hagai; Cazzoli, Sara; Olmo, Ascensión del

    2017-01-01

    Low-ionization nuclear emission-line regions (LINERs) are specially interesting objects since not only they represent the most numerous local Active Galactic Nuclei population, but they could be the link between normal and active galaxies as suggested by their low X-ray luminosities. The origin of LINER nuclei being still controversial, our works, through a multiwavelength approach, have contributed, firstly, to confirm that a large number of nuclear LINERs in the local universe are AGN powered. Secondly, from the study of X-ray spectral variability, we found that long term variations are very common, and they are mostly related to hard energies (2–10keV). These variations might be due to changes in the absorber and/or intrinsic variations of the source. Thirdly, Mid-infrared (MIR) imaging also indicates that LINERs are the low luminosity end of AGN toward lower luminosities, and MIR spectroscopy shows that the average spectrum of AGN-dominated LINERs with X-ray luminosities L X (2–10 keV) > 10 41 erg/s is similar to the average mid-IR spectrum of AGN-dominated Seyfert 2s; for fainter LINERS, their spectral shape suggests that the dusty-torus may disappear. Fourth, the extended Hα emission of LINERs at HST resolution indicates that they follow remarkably well the Narrow Line Region morphology and the luminosity-size relation obtained for Seyfert and QSOs; HST Hα morphology may suggest the presence of outflows, which could contribute to the line broadening, with the resulting consequences on the percentage of LINERs where the Broad Line Region is detected. This issue is being revisited by our group with a high spectral resolution set of optical data for nearby type-1 LINERs. Finally, concerning systematic studies on the role of star formation in LINERs, which are scarce, our contribution deals with the study of a sample of the most luminous, highest star formation rate LINERs in the local Universe (at z from 0.04 to 0.11), together with its comparison with

  8. In dubio pro silentio – Even Loud Music Does Not Facilitate Strenuous Ergometer Exercise

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gunter Kreutz

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Music listening is wide-spread in amateur sports. Ergometer exercise is one such activity which is often performed with loud music.Aim and Hypotheses: We investigated the effects of electronic music at different intensity levels on ergometer performance (physical performance, force on the pedal, pedaling frequency, perceived fatigue and heart rate in healthy adults. We assumed that higher sound intensity levels are associated with greater ergometer performance and less perceived effort, particularly for untrained individuals.Methods: Groups of high trained and low trained healthy males (N = 40; age = 25.25 years; SD = 3.89 years were tested individually on an ergometer while electronic dance music was played at 0, 65, 75, and 85 dB. Participants assessed their music experience during the experiment.Results: Majorities of participants rated the music as not too loud (65%, motivating (77.50%, appropriate for this sports exercise (90%, and having the right tempo (67.50%. Participants noticed changes in the acoustical environment with increasing intensity levels, but no further effects on any of the physical or other subjective measures were found for neither of the groups. Therefore, the main hypothesis must be rejected.Discussion: These findings suggest that high loudness levels do not positively influence ergometer performance. The high acceptance of loud music and perceived appropriateness could be based on erroneous beliefs or stereotypes. Reasons for the widespread use of loud music in fitness sports needs further investigation. Reducing loudness during fitness exercise may not compromise physical performance or perceived effort.

  9. In dubio pro silentio – Even Loud Music Does Not Facilitate Strenuous Ergometer Exercise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreutz, Gunter; Schorer, Jörg; Sojke, Dominik; Neugebauer, Judith; Bullack, Antje

    2018-01-01

    Background: Music listening is wide-spread in amateur sports. Ergometer exercise is one such activity which is often performed with loud music. Aim and Hypotheses: We investigated the effects of electronic music at different intensity levels on ergometer performance (physical performance, force on the pedal, pedaling frequency), perceived fatigue and heart rate in healthy adults. We assumed that higher sound intensity levels are associated with greater ergometer performance and less perceived effort, particularly for untrained individuals. Methods: Groups of high trained and low trained healthy males (N = 40; age = 25.25 years; SD = 3.89 years) were tested individually on an ergometer while electronic dance music was played at 0, 65, 75, and 85 dB. Participants assessed their music experience during the experiment. Results: Majorities of participants rated the music as not too loud (65%), motivating (77.50%), appropriate for this sports exercise (90%), and having the right tempo (67.50%). Participants noticed changes in the acoustical environment with increasing intensity levels, but no further effects on any of the physical or other subjective measures were found for neither of the groups. Therefore, the main hypothesis must be rejected. Discussion: These findings suggest that high loudness levels do not positively influence ergometer performance. The high acceptance of loud music and perceived appropriateness could be based on erroneous beliefs or stereotypes. Reasons for the widespread use of loud music in fitness sports needs further investigation. Reducing loudness during fitness exercise may not compromise physical performance or perceived effort. PMID:29867622

  10. Four odontocete species change hearing levels when warned of impending loud sound.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nachtigall, Paul E; Supin, Alexander Ya; Pacini, Aude F; Kastelein, Ronald A

    2018-03-01

    Hearing sensitivity change was investigated when a warning sound preceded a loud sound in the false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), the beluga whale (Delphinaperus leucas) and the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). Hearing sensitivity was measured using pip-train test stimuli and auditory evoked potential recording. When the test/warning stimuli preceded a loud sound, hearing thresholds before the loud sound increased relative to the baseline by 13 to 17 dB. Experiments with multiple frequencies of exposure and shift provided evidence of different amounts of hearing change depending on frequency, indicating that the hearing sensation level changes were not likely due to a simple stapedial reflex. © 2017 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  11. Exposure to loud noise, bilateral high-frequency hearing loss and coronary heart disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gan, Wen Qi; Moline, Jacqueline; Kim, Hyun; Mannino, David M

    2016-01-01

    Bilateral high-frequency hearing loss is an indicator for chronic exposure to loud noise. This study aimed to examine the association between bilateral high-frequency hearing loss and the presence of coronary heart disease (CHD). This study included 5223 participants aged 20-69 years who participated in the audiometry examination of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004. Bilateral high-frequency hearing loss was defined as the average high-frequency (3, 4 and 6 kHz) hearing threshold ≥25 dB in both ears. CHD was defined as self-reported diagnoses by doctors or other health professionals. Compared with those with normal high-frequency hearing, participants with bilateral high-frequency hearing loss were more likely to have CHD (OR 1.91; 95% CI 1.28 to 2.85) after adjustment for various covariates. This association was particularly strong for currently employed workers who were exposed to loud occupational noise (OR 4.23; 95% CI 1.32 to 13.55). For this subgroup, there was no significant association of CHD with unilateral high-frequency hearing loss, and unilateral or bilateral low-frequency hearing loss. Furthermore, there was no significant association of CHD with any types of hearing loss for participants who were not exposed to loud noise. Stratified analyses for participants exposed to loud noise showed that the observed association was particularly strong for those who were less than 50 years of age, less educated and current smokers. On the basis of an objective indicator for personal chronic exposure to loud noise, this study confirmed that exposure to loud occupational noise is associated with the presence of CHD. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  12. AGN Science with STROBE-X

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ballantyne, David; Balokovic, Mislav; Garcia, Javier; Koss, Michael; STROBE-X

    2018-01-01

    The probe concept STROBE-X, with its combination of large collecting area, wide-field monitor, broad bandpass, and rapid timing capability, is a powerful tool for studying many aspects of AGN astrophysics. This unique combination of features opens up the possibility for studying AGNs in ways current and other future missions are unable to accomplish. Here, we show a few of the novel new investigations made possible by STROBE-X: probing the structure of the BLR and torus with reverberation of the narrow Fe Kα line and line-of-sight column density, tracking changes in coronal parameters, investigating the origin of the soft excess, Fe Kα emission line surveys, and efficient Compton-thick characterization. Additional ideas and suggestions are always welcome and can be communicated to any member of the STROBE-X team.

  13. Coeval Starburst and AGN Activity in the CDFS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brusa, M.; Fiore, F.

    2009-10-01

    Here we present a study on the host galaxies properties of obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) detected in the CDFS 1Ms observation and for which deep K-band observations obtained with ISAAC@VLT are available. The aim of this study is to characterize the host galaxies properties of obscured AGN in terms of their stellar masses, star formation rates, and specific star formation rates. To this purpose we refined the X-ray/optical association of 179 1 Ms sources in the MUSIC area, using a three-bands (optical, K, and IRAC) catalog for the counterparts search and we derived the rest frame properties from SED fitting. We found that the host of obscured AGN at z>1 are associated with luminous, massive, red galaxies with significant star formation rates episodes still ongoing in about 50% of the sample.

  14. CDC Vital Signs-Too Loud for Too Long!

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the February 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. Being around too much loud noise-like a leaf blower or rock concert-can cause permanent hearing loss. Learn how to prevent hearing loss.

  15. The Contribution of Compton-Thick AGN/ULIRGs to the X-Ray Background

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nardini, Emanuele

    Accretion onto the supermassive black holes located at the centre of Active Galactic Nuclei(AGN) is one of the most efficient power sources in the Universe, and provides a significant contribution to the energy radiated over cosmic times. The spectral shape of the X-ray background and its progressive resolution strongly suggests that most AGN are heavily obscured by large amounts of dust and gas. Their primary radiation field is reprocessed and re-emitted at longer wavelengths, driving a huge IR luminosity. Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs) are the local counterparts of the high-redshift (z sport the typical features of buried AGN in the mid-IR. IRAS 12127 1412 was observed for the first time in the X-rays by our group. Its Chandra spectrum clearly shows the signatures of AGN reflection at 2 10 keV. Similar properties were previously found in IRAS 00182 7112. Our Suzaku observations will allow to pinpont the AGN emission above 10 keV, and will provide fundamental information on the physical and geometrical structure of Compton-thick AGN embedded in a nuclear starburst. These sources are believed to experience the very initial phase of the AGN feedback on the surrounding environment, eventually leading to the formation of powerful optically- bright quasars. Besides this, we stress another remarkable opportunity related to the study of these two ULIRGs. Due to their really unique mid-IR and hard X-ray spectral properties, IRAS 00182 7112 and IRAS 12127 1412 can be considered as representative templates for a significant fraction of the obscured AGN population. Their broadband spectral energy distribution can then be used to calibrate new photometric diagnostics based on mid-IR colors and bolometric corrections, capable of selecting their faint counterparts within the IR deep fields. The wealth of data in the WISE and Spitzer archives will allow a complete census of this AGN subclass. The reflection efficiency inferred from our new Suzaku observations will make

  16. THE SPECTACULAR RADIO-NEAR-IR-X-RAY JET OF 3C 111: THE X-RAY EMISSION MECHANISM AND JET KINEMATICS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Clautice, Devon; Perlman, Eric S. [Department of Physics and Space Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 W. University Boulevard, Melbourne, FL 32901 (United States); Georganopoulos, Markos [Department of Physics, University of Maryland—Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 (United States); Lister, Matthew L.; Hogan, Brandon [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, 525 Northwestern Avenue, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Tombesi, Francesco [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2421 (United States); Cara, Mihai [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Marshall, Herman L. [Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Kazanas, Demos [NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Astrophysics Science Division, Code 663, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

    2016-08-01

    Relativistic jets are the most energetic manifestation of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) phenomenon. AGN jets are observed from the radio through gamma-rays and carry copious amounts of matter and energy from the sub-parsec central regions out to the kiloparsec and often megaparsec scale galaxy and cluster environs. While most spatially resolved jets are seen in the radio, an increasing number have been discovered to emit in the optical/near-IR and/or X-ray bands. Here we discuss a spectacular example of this class, the 3C 111 jet, housed in one of the nearest, double-lobed FR II radio galaxies known. We discuss new, deep Chandra and Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) observations that reveal both near-IR and X-ray emission from several components of the 3C 111 jet, as well as both the northern and southern hotspots. Important differences are seen between the morphologies in the radio, X-ray, and near-IR bands. The long (over 100 kpc on each side), straight nature of this jet makes it an excellent prototype for future, deep observations, as it is one of the longest such features seen in the radio, near-IR/optical, and X-ray bands. Several independent lines of evidence, including the X-ray and broadband spectral shape as well as the implied velocity of the approaching hotspot, lead us to strongly disfavor the EC/CMB model and instead favor a two-component synchrotron model to explain the observed X-ray emission for several jet components. Future observations with NuSTAR , HST , and Chandra will allow us to further constrain the emission mechanisms.

  17. Feedback by AGN Jets and Wide-angle Winds on a Galactic Scale

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dugan, Zachary; Silk, Joseph [The Johns Hopkins University Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bloomberg Center for Physics and Astronomy, Room 366, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Gaibler, Volker [Universität Heidelberg, Zentrum für Astronomie, Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik, Albert-Ueberle-Str. 2, D-69120 Heidelberg (Germany)

    2017-07-20

    To investigate the differences in mechanical feedback from radio-loud and radio-quiet active galactic nuclei on the host galaxy, we perform 3D AMR hydrodynamic simulations of wide-angle, radio-quiet winds with different inclinations on a single, massive, gas-rich disk galaxy at a redshift of 2–3. We compare our results to hydrodynamic simulations of the same galaxy but with a jet. The jet has an inclination of 0° (perpendicular to the galactic plane), and the winds have inclinations of 0°, 45°, and 90°. We analyze the impact on the host’s gas, star formation, and circumgalactic medium. We find that jet feedback is energy-driven and wind feedback is momentum-driven. In all the simulations, the jet or wind creates a cavity mostly devoid of dense gas in the nuclear region where star formation is then quenched, but we find strong positive feedback in all the simulations at radii greater than 3 kpc. All four simulations have similar SFRs and stellar velocities with large radial and vertical components. However, the wind at an inclination of 90° creates the highest density regions through ram pressure and generates the highest rates of star formation due to its ongoing strong interaction with the dense gas of the galactic plane. With increased wind inclination, we find greater asymmetry in gas distribution and resulting star formation. Our model generates an expanding ring of triggered star formation with typical velocities of the order of 1/3 of the circular velocity, superimposed on the older stellar population. This should result in a potentially detectable blue asymmetry in stellar absorption features at kiloparsec scales.

  18. X-RAY ABSORPTION, NUCLEAR INFRARED EMISSION, AND DUST COVERING FACTORS OF AGNs: TESTING UNIFICATION SCHEMES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mateos, S.; Carrera, F. J.; Alonso-Herrero, A.; Hernán-Caballero, A.; Barcons, X. [Instituto de Física de Cantabria (CSIC-Universidad de Cantabria), E-39005, Santander (Spain); Ramos, A. Asensio; Almeida, C. Ramos [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, E-38205, La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Watson, M. G.; Blain, A. [Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Caccianiga, A.; Ballo, L. [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, via Brera 28, I-20121 Milano (Italy); Braito, V., E-mail: mateos@ifca.unican.es [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (Italy)

    2016-03-10

    We present the distributions of the geometrical covering factors of the dusty tori (f{sub 2}) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) using an X-ray selected complete sample of 227 AGNs drawn from the Bright Ultra-hard XMM-Newton Survey. The AGNs have z from 0.05 to 1.7, 2–10 keV luminosities between 10{sup 42} and 10{sup 46} erg s{sup −1}, and Compton-thin X-ray absorption. Employing data from UKIDSS, 2MASS, and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer in a previous work, we determined the rest-frame 1–20 μm continuum emission from the torus, which we model here with the clumpy torus models of Nenkova et al. Optically classified type 1 and type 2 AGNs are intrinsically different, with type 2 AGNs having, on average, tori with higher f{sub 2} than type 1 AGNs. Nevertheless, ∼20% of type 1 AGNs have tori with large covering factors, while ∼23%–28% of type 2 AGNs have tori with small covering factors. Low f{sub 2} are preferred at high AGN luminosities, as postulated by simple receding torus models, although for type 2 AGNs the effect is certainly small. f{sub 2} increases with the X-ray column density, which implies that dust extinction and X-ray absorption take place in material that share an overall geometry and most likely belong to the same structure, the putative torus. Based on our results, the viewing angle, AGN luminosity, and also f{sub 2} determine the optical appearance of an AGN and control the shape of the rest-frame ∼1–20 μm nuclear continuum emission. Thus, the torus geometrical covering factor is a key ingredient of unification schemes.

  19. Optical Variability of Narrow-line and Broad-line Seyfert 1 Galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rakshit, Suvendu; Stalin, C. S.

    2017-06-01

    We studied the optical variability (OV) of a large sample of narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLSy1) and broad-line Seyfert 1 (BLSy1) galaxies with z anti-correlated with Fe II strength but correlated with the width of the Hβ line. The well-known anti-correlation of variability-luminosity and the variability-Eddington ratio is present in our data. Among the radio-loud sample, variability amplitude is found to be correlated with radio-loudness and radio-power, suggesting that jets also play an important role in the OV in radio-loud objects, in addition to the Eddington ratio, which is the main driving factor of OV in radio-quiet sources.

  20. Outflow Kinematics Manifested by the Hα Line: Gas Outflows in Type 2 AGNs. IV

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang, Daeun; Woo, Jong-Hak; Bae, Hyun-Jin, E-mail: woo@astro.snu.ac.kr [Astronomy Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-08-20

    Energetic ionized gas outflows driven by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been studied as a key phenomenon related to AGN feedback. To probe the kinematics of the gas in the narrow-line region, [O iii] λ 5007 has been utilized in a number of studies showing nonvirial kinematic properties due to AGN outflows. In this paper, we statistically investigate whether the H α emission line is influenced by AGN-driven outflows by measuring the kinematic properties based on the H α line profile and comparing them with those of [O iii]. Using the spatially integrated spectra of ∼37,000 Type 2 AGNs at z < 0.3 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7, we find a nonlinear correlation between H α velocity dispersion and stellar velocity dispersion that reveals the presence of the nongravitational component, especially for AGNs with a wing component in H α . The large H α velocity dispersion and velocity shift of luminous AGNs are clear evidence of AGN outflow impacts on hydrogen gas, while relatively smaller kinematic properties compared to those of [O iii] imply that the observed outflow effect on the H α line is weaker than the case of [O iii].

  1. Chandra X-ray observations of the hyper-luminous infrared galaxy IRAS F15307+3252

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hlavacek-Larrondo, J.; Gandhi, P.; Hogan, M. T.; Gendron-Marsolais, M.-L.; Edge, A. C.; Fabian, A. C.; Russell, H. R.; Iwasawa, K.; Mezcua, M.

    2017-01-01

    Hyper-luminous infrared galaxies (HyLIRGs) lie at the extreme luminosity end of the IR galaxy population with LIR > 1013 L⊙. They are thought to be closer counterparts of the more distant sub-millimeter galaxies, and should therefore be optimal targets to study the most massive systems in formation. We present deep Chandra observations of IRAS F15307+3252 (100 ks), a classical HyLIRG located at z = 0.93 and hosting a radio-loud AGN (L1.4 GHz ˜ 3.5 × 1025 W Hz-1). The Chandra images reveal the presence of extended (r = 160 kpc), asymmetric X-ray emission in the soft 0.3-2.0 keV band that has no radio counterpart. We therefore argue that the emission is of thermal origin originating from a hot intragroup or intracluster medium virializing in the potential. We find that the temperature (˜2 keV) and bolometric X-ray luminosity (˜3 × 1043 erg s-1) of the gas follow the expected LX-ray-T correlation for groups and clusters, and that the gas has a remarkably short cooling time of 1.2 Gyr. In addition, VLA radio observations reveal that the galaxy hosts an unresolved compact steep-spectrum (CSS) source, most likely indicating the presence of a young radio source similar to 3C186. We also confirm that the nucleus is dominated by a redshifted 6.4 keV Fe Kα line, strongly suggesting that the AGN is Compton-thick. Finally, Hubble images reveal an overdensity of galaxies and sub-structure in the galaxy that correlates with soft X-ray emission. This could be a snapshot view of on-going groupings expected in a growing cluster environment. IRAS F15307+3252 might therefore be a rare example of a group in the process of transforming into a cluster.

  2. [Evaluation of a transient noise reduction strategy on the loudness perception and sound quality].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Haihong; Zhang, Hua; Chen, Xueqing; Wu, Yanjun; Kong, Ying; Wang, Shuo; Li, Jing

    2010-10-01

    A current technology for detecting and controlling transient noise in hearing aids (AntiShock) was evaluated. The objective was to evaluate AntiShock on loudness control and whether results in negative changes in sound quality of speech, transient noise and environmental noise and provide implications for hearing aid fitting. Twenty-four subjects with sensorineural hearing loss participated in the study. In a single-blinded paradigm, the subjects were asked to rate loudness of transient noise and distortion of speech, transient noise and environmental noise with the AntiShock in both on and off conditions. (1) The percentage of the transient noise rated as soft, comfortable, loud, too loud was 3.0%, 72.7%, 22.9% and 1.4%, respectively. There were significant differences in mean scores of loudness perception among listening conditions and between genders by a Two-Way ANOVA, the P values were 0.009 and 0.001, respectively. (2) The percentage of the speech rated as mild distorted, understandable, clear and very clear was 2.5%, 30.6%, 32.9% and 34.0%, respectively. There were significant differences in mean scores of speech distortion under different listening conditions by an One-Way ANOVA (P 0.05). (4) The percentage of the environmental noise rated as mild distorted, clear but soft, clear and natural was 0.4%, 0.8% and 98.8%, respectively. No significant differences in mean scores of nature of environmental noise was found between different listening conditions by an Independent-Samples T Test (P > 0.05). AntiShock showed positive effects on the loudness control of the transient noise. Quality of speech, transient noise and environmental noise were not impacted by AntiShock.

  3. Temporal and spectral interaction in loudness perception

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Benjamin; Ellermeier, Wolfgang

    An experiment was conducted to investigate how changes in spectral content influence loudness judgments. Six listeners were asked to discriminate sounds, which were of one second duration and changing in level every 0.1 s. In one condition the first half of the sound was low-pass filtered and the...

  4. An X-Ray/SDSS Sample: Observational Characterization of The Outflowing Gas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perna, Michele; Brusa, M.; Lanzuisi, G.; Mignoli, M.

    2016-10-01

    Powerful ionised AGN-driven outflows, commonly detected both locally and at high redshift, are invoked to contribute to the co-evolution of SMBH and galaxies through feedback phenomena. Our recent works (Brusa+2015; 2016; Perna+2015a,b) have shown that the XMM-COSMOS targets with evidence of outflows collected so far ( 10 sources) appear to be associated with low X-ray kbol corrections (Lbol /LX ˜ 18), in spite of their spread in obscuration, in the locations on the SFR-Mstar diagram, in their radio emission. A higher statistical significance is required to validate a connection between outflow phenomena and a X-ray loudness. Moreover, in order to validate their binding nature to the galaxy fate, it is crucial to correctly determine the outflow energetics. This requires time consuming integral field spectroscopic (IFS) observations, which are, at present, mostly limited to high luminosity objectsThe study of SDSS data offers a complementary strategy to IFS efforts. I will present physical and demographic characterization of the AGN-galaxy system during the feedback phase obtained studying a sample of 500 X-ray/SDSS AGNs, at zdispersion) and X-ray properties (intrinsic X-ray luminosity, obscuration and X-ray kbol correction), to determine what drives ionised winds. Several diagnostic line ratios have been used to infer the physical properties of the ionised outflowing gas. The knowledge of these properties can reduce the actual uncertainties in the outflow energetics by a factor of ten, pointing to improve our understanding of the AGN outflow phenomenon and its impact on galaxy evolution.

  5. EROSITA: AGN SCIENCE, BACKGROUND DETERMINATION, AND OPTICAL FOLLOW-UP SPECTROSCOPY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Boller

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available More than 20 years after the highly impacting ROSAT all-sky survey in the soft X-ray spectral range, we are close to the next major X-ray all/sky surveys with eROSITA. eROSITA will be the primary instrument on-board the Russian “Spectrum–Roentgen–Gamma” (SRG satellite which will be launched from Baikonur in 2014 and placed in an L2 orbit. It will perform the first imaging all-sky survey in the medium energy X-ray range up to 10 keV with an unprecedented spectral and angular resolution. The eROSITA all sky X-ray survey will take place in a very different context than the ROSAT survey. There is now a wealth of complete, ongoing and planned surveys of the sky in broad range of wavelengths from the gamma, X-ray to the radio. A significant amount of science can be accomplished through the multi-frequency study of the eROSITA AGN and cluster sample, including optical confirmation and photometric redshift estimation of the eROSITA extended sources and AGNs. Optical spectroscopy has been, and will for the foreseeable future be, one of the main tools of astrophysics allowing studies of a large variety of astronomical objects over many fields of research. The fully capitalize on the eROSITA potential, a dedicated spectroscopic follow-up program is needed. 4MOST is the ideal instrument to secure the scientific success of the eROSITA X-ray survey and to overcome the small sample sizes together with selection biases that plagued past samples. The aim is to have the instrument commissioned in 2017, well matched to the data releases of eROSITA and Gaia. The design and implementation of the 4MOST facility simulator aimed to optimize the science output for eROSITA is described in necessary details.

  6. Short-term radio variability and parsec-scale structure in A gamma-ray narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0323+342

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wajima, Kiyoaki [Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 80 Nandan Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai 200030 (China); Fujisawa, Kenta [The Research Institute for Time Studies, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi 753-8511 (Japan); Hayashida, Masaaki [Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8582 (Japan); Isobe, Naoki [The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210 (Japan); Ishida, Takafumi [Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi 753-8512 (Japan); Yonekura, Yoshinori, E-mail: kwajima@shao.ac.cn [Center for Astronomy, Ibaraki University, 2-1-1 Bunkyo, Mito, Ibaraki 310-8512 (Japan)

    2014-02-01

    We made simultaneous single-dish and very long baseline interferometer (VLBI) observations of a narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 323+342, showing gamma-ray activity revealed by Fermi/Large Area Telescope observations. We found significant variation of the total flux density at 8 GHz on the timescale of one month by the single-dish monitoring. The total flux density varied by 5.5% in 32 days, which is comparable to the gamma-ray variability timescale, corresponding to the variability brightness temperature of 7.0 × 10{sup 11} K. The source consists of central and southeastern components on the parsec (pc) scale. Only the flux of the central component decreased in the same way as the total flux density, indicating that the short-term radio variability, and probably the gamma-ray-emitting region, is associated with this component. From the VLBI observations, we obtained brightness temperatures of greater than (5.2 ± 0.3) × 10{sup 10} K and derived an equipartition Doppler factor of greater than 1.7, a variability Doppler factor of 2.2, and an 8 GHz radio power of 10{sup 24.6} W Hz{sup –1}. Combining them, we conclude that acceleration of radio jets and creation of high-energy particles are ongoing in the central engine and that the apparent very radio-loud feature of the source is due to the Doppler boosting effect, resulting in the intrinsic radio loudness being an order of magnitude smaller than the observed values. We also conclude that the pc-scale jet represents recurrent activity from the spectral fitting and the estimated kinematic age of pc- and kpc-scale extended components with different position angles.

  7. AGN Heating in Simulated Cool-core Clusters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Yuan; Ruszkowski, Mateusz [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 1085 S. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Bryan, Greg L., E-mail: yuanlium@umich.edu [Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, Pupin Physics Laboratories, New York, NY 10027 (United States)

    2017-10-01

    We analyze heating and cooling processes in an idealized simulation of a cool-core cluster, where momentum-driven AGN feedback balances radiative cooling in a time-averaged sense. We find that, on average, energy dissipation via shock waves is almost an order of magnitude higher than via turbulence. Most of the shock waves in the simulation are very weak shocks with Mach numbers smaller than 1.5, but the stronger shocks, although rare, dissipate energy more effectively. We find that shock dissipation is a steep function of radius, with most of the energy dissipated within 30 kpc, more spatially concentrated than radiative cooling loss. However, adiabatic processes and mixing (of post-shock materials and the surrounding gas) are able to redistribute the heat throughout the core. A considerable fraction of the AGN energy also escapes the core region. The cluster goes through cycles of AGN outbursts accompanied by periods of enhanced precipitation and star formation, over gigayear timescales. The cluster core is under-heated at the end of each cycle, but over-heated at the peak of the AGN outburst. During the heating-dominant phase, turbulent dissipation alone is often able to balance radiative cooling at every radius but, when this is occurs, shock waves inevitably dissipate even more energy. Our simulation explains why some clusters, such as Abell 2029, are cooling dominated, while in some other clusters, such as Perseus, various heating mechanisms including shock heating, turbulent dissipation and bubble mixing can all individually balance cooling, and together, over-heat the core.

  8. Prospects for AGN Science using the ART-XC on the SRG Mission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swartz, Douglas A.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Gubarev, Mikhail V.; O'Dell, Stephen L.; Ramsey, Brian D.; Bonamente, Massimiliano

    2012-01-01

    The enhanced hard X-ray sensitivity provided by the Astronomical Roentgen Telescope to the Spectrum Roentgen Gamma mission facilitates the detection of heavily obscured and other hard-spectrum cosmic X-ray sources. The SRG all-sky survey will obtain large, statistically-well-defined samples of active galactic nuclei (AGN) including a significant population of local heavily-obscured AGN. In anticipation of the SRG all-sky survey, we investigate the prospects for refining the bright end of the AGN luminosity function and determination of the local black hole mass function and comparing the spatial distribution of AGN with large-scale structure defined by galaxy clusters and groups. Particular emphasis is placed on studies of the deep survey Ecliptic Pole regions.

  9. The Connection between the Radio Jet and the γ-ray Emission in the Radio Galaxy 3C 120 and the Blazar CTA 102

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolina Casadio

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available We present multi-wavelength studies of the radio galaxy 3C 120 and the blazar CTA 102 during unprecedented γ-ray flares for both sources. In both studies the analysis of γ-ray data has been compared with a series of 43 GHz VLBA images from the VLBA-BU-BLAZAR program, providing the necessary spatial resolution to probe the parsec scale jet evolution during the high energy events. To extend the radio dataset for 3C 120 we also used 15 GHz VLBA data from the MOJAVE sample. These two objects which represent very different classes of AGN, have similar properties during the γ-ray events. The γ-ray flares are associated with the passage of a new superluminal component through the mm VLBI core, but not all ejections of new components lead to γ-ray events. In both sources γ-ray events occurred only when the new components are moving in a direction closer to our line of sight. We locate the γ-ray dissipation zone a short distance from the radio core but outside of the broad line region, suggesting synchrotron self-Compton scattering as the probable mechanism for the γ-ray production.

  10. Comparisons between detection threshold and loudness perception for individual cochlear implant channels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bierer, Julie Arenberg; Nye, Amberly D

    2014-01-01

    Objective The objective of the present study, performed in cochlear implant listeners, was to examine how the level of current required to detect single-channel electrical pulse trains relates to loudness perception on the same channel. The working hypothesis was that channels with relatively high thresholds, when measured with a focused current pattern, interface poorly to the auditory nerve. For such channels a smaller dynamic range between perceptual threshold and the most comfortable loudness would result, in part, from a greater sensitivity to changes in electrical field spread compared to low-threshold channels. The narrower range of comfortable listening levels may have important implications for speech perception. Design Data were collected from eight, adult cochlear implant listeners implanted with the HiRes90k cochlear implant (Advanced Bionics Corp.). The partial tripolar (pTP) electrode configuration, consisting of one intracochlear active electrode, two flanking electrodes carrying a fraction (σ) of the return current, and an extracochlear ground, was used for stimulation. Single-channel detection thresholds and most comfortable listening levels were acquired using the most focused pTP configuration possible (σ ≥ 0.8) to identify three channels for further testing – those with the highest, median, and lowest thresholds – for each subject. Threshold, equal-loudness contours (at 50% of the monopolar dynamic range), and loudness growth functions were measured for each of these three test channels using various partial tripolar fractions. Results For all test channels, thresholds increased as the electrode configuration became more focused. The rate of increase with the focusing parameter σ was greatest for the high-threshold channel compared to the median- and low-threshold channels. The 50% equal-loudness contours exhibited similar rates of increase in level across test channels and subjects. Additionally, test channels with the highest

  11. Large-scale correlations in gas traced by Mg II absorbers around low-mass galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kauffmann, Guinevere

    2018-03-01

    The physical origin of the large-scale conformity in the colours and specific star formation rates of isolated low-mass central galaxies and their neighbours on scales in excess of 1 Mpc is still under debate. One possible scenario is that gas is heated over large scales by feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs), leading to coherent modulation of cooling and star formation between well-separated galaxies. In this Letter, the metal line absorption catalogue of Zhu & Ménard is used to probe gas out to large projected radii around a sample of a million galaxies with stellar masses ˜1010M⊙ and photometric redshifts in the range 0.4 Survey imaging data. This galaxy sample covers an effective volume of 2.2 Gpc3. A statistically significant excess of Mg II absorbers is present around the red-low-mass galaxies compared to their blue counterparts out to projected radii of 10 Mpc. In addition, the equivalent width distribution function of Mg II absorbers around low-mass galaxies is shown to be strongly affected by the presence of a nearby (Rp < 2 Mpc) radio-loud AGNs out to projected radii of 5 Mpc.

  12. A Search for Blazar-Like Radio-Loud Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hugh R. Miller

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available We report the results of an observational program to investigate the gamma-ray and optical variability properties of the vRL NLSY1 galaxies listed in the Yuan et al. sample. We have identified 17 members of the Yuan et al. sample possibly associated with gamma-ray sources based on a combination of their optical polarization and optical variability and their gamma-ray properties. Eight have previously been associated with gamma-ray sources. We find nine additional members that we predict are excellent candidates to be associated with gamma-ray sources in the future. All 17 sources have many properties in common with flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs, suggesting that they may, in fact, constitute a new subclass of FSRQs.

  13. Towards A Complete Census of the Compton-thick AGN Population in our Cosmic Backyard

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annuar, Ady

    2016-09-01

    We propose for Chandra and NuSTAR observations of two local AGNs to characterise their obscuring properties. We are using Chandra and NuSTAR to form the first complete measurement of the column density (N_H) distribution of AGN at D35%. We also found that Chandra resolution is key in resolving the AGN from off-nuclear X-ray sources. When combined with NuSTAR, this allow us to accurately characterise the broadband spectrum of the AGN, and identify it as CT. These new observations will provide Chandra data for all D<15Mpc AGNs and boost up the N_H distribution up to 85% complete. This will be fully completed with future NuSTAR observations.

  14. The first 62 AGN observed with SDSS-IV MaNGA - II: resolved stellar populations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallmann, Nícolas Dullius; Riffel, Rogério; Storchi-Bergmann, Thaisa; Barboza Rembold, Sandro; Riffel, Rogemar A.; Schimoia, Jaderson; da Costa, Luiz Nicolaci; Ávila-Reese, Vladimir; Sanchez, Sebastian F.; Machado, Alice D.; Cirolini, Rafael; Ilha, Gabriele S.; do Nascimento, Janaína C.

    2018-05-01

    We present spatially resolved stellar population age maps, average radial profiles and gradients for the first 62 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) observed with SDSS-IV MaNGA to study the effects of the active nuclei on the star formation history of the host galaxies. These results, derived using the STARLIGHT code, are compared with a control sample of non-active galaxies matching the properties of the AGN hosts. We find that the fraction of young stellar populations (SP) in high-luminosity AGN is higher in the inner (R≤0.5 Re) regions when compared with the control sample; low-luminosity AGN, on the other hand, present very similar fractions of young stars to the control sample hosts for the entire studied range (1 Re). The fraction of intermediate age SP of the AGN hosts increases outwards, with a clear enhancement when compared with the control sample. The inner region of the galaxies (AGN and control galaxies) presents a dominant old SP, whose fraction decreases outwards. We also compare our results (differences between AGN and control galaxies) for the early and late-type hosts and find no significant differences. In summary, our results suggest that the most luminous AGN seems to have been triggered by a recent supply of gas that has also triggered recent star formation (t ≤ 40 Myrs) in the central region.

  15. EDDINGTON RATIO DISTRIBUTION OF X-RAY-SELECTED BROAD-LINE AGNs AT 1.0 < z < 2.2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suh, Hyewon; Hasinger, Günther; Steinhardt, Charles; Silverman, John D.; Schramm, Malte

    2015-01-01

    We investigate the Eddington ratio distribution of X-ray-selected broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the redshift range 1.0 < z < 2.2, where the number density of AGNs peaks. Combining the optical and Subaru/Fiber Multi Object Spectrograph near-infrared spectroscopy, we estimate black hole masses for broad-line AGNs in the Chandra Deep Field South (CDF-S), Extended Chandra Deep Field South (E-CDF-S), and the XMM-Newton Lockman Hole (XMM-LH) surveys. AGNs with similar black hole masses show a broad range of AGN bolometric luminosities, which are calculated from X-ray luminosities, indicating that the accretion rate of black holes is widely distributed. We find a substantial fraction of massive black holes accreting significantly below the Eddington limit at z ≲ 2, in contrast to what is generally found for luminous AGNs at high redshift. Our analysis of observational selection biases indicates that the “AGN cosmic downsizing” phenomenon can be simply explained by the strong evolution of the comoving number density at the bright end of the AGN luminosity function, together with the corresponding selection effects. However, one might need to consider a correlation between the AGN luminosity and the accretion rate of black holes, in which luminous AGNs have higher Eddington ratios than low-luminosity AGNs, in order to understand the relatively small fraction of low-luminosity AGNs with high accretion rates in this epoch. Therefore, the observed downsizing trend could be interpreted as massive black holes with low accretion rates, which are relatively fainter than less-massive black holes with efficient accretion

  16. THE RADIO/GAMMA-RAY CONNECTION IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI IN THE ERA OF THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Allafort, A.; Berenji, B.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.; Borgland, A. W.; Angelakis, E.; Axelsson, M.; Baldini, L.; Bellazzini, R.; Bregeon, J.; Brez, A.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bonamente, E.; Bouvier, A.; Brigida, M.; Bruel, P.

    2011-01-01

    We present a detailed statistical analysis of the correlation between radio and gamma-ray emission of the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) detected by Fermi during its first year of operation, with the largest data sets ever used for this purpose. We use both archival interferometric 8.4 GHz data (from the Very Large Array and ATCA, for the full sample of 599 sources) and concurrent single-dish 15 GHz measurements from the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO, for a sub sample of 199 objects). Our unprecedentedly large sample permits us to assess with high accuracy the statistical significance of the correlation, using a surrogate data method designed to simultaneously account for common-distance bias and the effect of a limited dynamical range in the observed quantities. We find that the statistical significance of a positive correlation between the centimeter radio and the broadband (E > 100 MeV) gamma-ray energy flux is very high for the whole AGN sample, with a probability of -7 for the correlation appearing by chance. Using the OVRO data, we find that concurrent data improve the significance of the correlation from 1.6 x 10 -6 to 9.0 x 10 -8 . Our large sample size allows us to study the dependence of correlation strength and significance on specific source types and gamma-ray energy band. We find that the correlation is very significant (chance probability -7 ) for both flat spectrum radio quasars and BL Lac objects separately; a dependence of the correlation strength on the considered gamma-ray energy band is also present, but additional data will be necessary to constrain its significance.

  17. RADIO VARIABILITY IN SEYFERT NUCLEI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mundell, C. G.; Ferruit, P.; Nagar, N.; Wilson, A. S.

    2009-01-01

    within the central ∼<50 pc. If flares in radio light curves correspond to ejection of new relativistic components or emergence of shocks in the underlying flow, improved monitoring and high-resolution imaging using VLBI techniques are required to confirm that radio jets are intrinsically non-relativistic during quiescence but that Seyferts, as black-hole-driven active galactic nuclei (AGN), have the capacity to accelerate relativistic jets during radio flares. Finally, we conclude that our results taken together with the increased detection rate of flat spectrum radio nuclei in Seyferts imaged at VLBI resolutions and the detection of variable water megamaser emission support the paradigm of intermittent periods of quiescence and nuclear outburst across the Seyfert population.

  18. THE HOST GALAXY PROPERTIES OF VARIABILITY SELECTED AGN IN THE PAN-STARRS1 MEDIUM DEEP SURVEY

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heinis, S.; Gezari, S.; Kumar, S. [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); Burgett, W. S.; Flewelling, H.; Huber, M. E.; Kaiser, N.; Wainscoat, R. J.; Waters, C. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)

    2016-07-20

    We study the properties of 975 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) selected by variability in the Pan-STARRS1 Medium deep Survey. Using complementary multi-wavelength data from the ultraviolet to the far-infrared, we use spectral energy distribution fitting to determine the AGN and host properties at z < 1 and compare to a well-matched control sample. We confirm the trend previously observed: that the variability amplitude decreases with AGN luminosity, but we also observe that the slope of this relation steepens with wavelength, resulting in a “redder when brighter” trend at low luminosities. Our results show that AGNs are hosted by more massive hosts than control sample galaxies, while the rest frame dust-corrected NUV r color distribution of AGN hosts is similar to control galaxies. We find a positive correlation between the AGN luminosity and star formation rate (SFR), independent of redshift. AGN hosts populate the entire range of SFRs within and outside of the Main Sequence of star-forming galaxies. Comparing the distribution of AGN hosts and control galaxies, we show that AGN hosts are less likely to be hosted by quiescent galaxies and more likely to be hosted by Main Sequence or starburst galaxies.

  19. Multi-phase outflows as probes of AGN accretion history

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nardini, Emanuele; Zubovas, Kastytis

    2018-05-01

    Powerful outflows with a broad range of properties (such as velocity, ionization, radial scale and mass loss rate) represent a key feature of active galactic nuclei (AGN), even more so since they have been simultaneously revealed also in individual objects. Here we revisit in a simple analytical framework the recent remarkable cases of two ultraluminous infrared quasars, IRAS F11119+3257 and Mrk 231, which allow us to investigate the physical connection between multi-phase AGN outflows across the ladder of distance from the central supermassive black hole (SMBH). We argue that any major deviations from the standard outflow propagation models might encode unique information on the past SMBH accretion history, and briefly discuss how this could help address some controversial aspects of the current picture of AGN feedback.

  20. Temporal modulation transfer functions in cochlear implantees using a method that limits overall loudness cues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fraser, Matthew; McKay, Colette M.

    2012-01-01

    Temporal modulation transfer functions (TMTFs) were measured for six users of cochlear implants, using different carrier rates and levels. Unlike most previous studies investigating modulation detection, the experimental design limited potential effects of overall loudness cues. Psychometric functions (percent correct discrimination of modulated from unmodulated stimuli versus modulation depth) were obtained. For each modulation depth, each modulated stimulus was loudness balanced to the unmodulated reference stimulus, and level jitter was applied in the discrimination task. The loudness-balance data showed that the modulated stimuli were louder than the unmodulated reference stimuli with the same average current, thus confirming the need to limit loudness cues when measuring modulation detection. TMTFs measured in this way had a low-pass characteristic, with a cut-off frequency (at comfortably loud levels) similar to that for normal-hearing listeners. A reduction in level caused degradation in modulation detection efficiency and a lower-cut-off frequency (i.e. poorer temporal resolution). An increase in carrier rate also led to a degradation in modulation detection efficiency, but only at lower levels or higher modulation frequencies. When detection thresholds were expressed as a proportion of dynamic range, there was no effect of carrier rate for the lowest modulation frequency (50 Hz) at either level. PMID:22146425

  1. AGN feedback through UFO and galaxy-wide winds in the early Universe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feruglio, C.; Piconcelli, E.; Bischetti, M.; Zappacosta, L.; Fiore, F.

    2017-10-01

    AGN feedback through massive molecular winds is today routinely observed in local AGN host galaxies, but not as such in the early universe. I will present the first evidence for a massive, AGN-driven molecular wind in the z 4 QSO APM08279, which also hosts the most well studied and persistent nuclear semi-raltivistic wind (UFO). This observation directly probes the expansion mechanism of a nuclear wind into the ISM on galaxy wide scales, that so far was constrained by a couple of other objects only (Feruglio et al. 2015, Tombesi et al. 2015). This result also opens the path toward the exploration of molecular AGN-driven winds at early epochs, close after the end of the Epoch of Reionisation (EoR).

  2. Temporal and spectral interaction in loudness perception

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pedersen, Benjamin; Ellermeier, Wolfgang

    2005-04-01

    An experiment was conducted to investigate how changes in spectral content influence loudness judgments. Six listeners were asked to discriminate sounds, which were of one second duration and changing in level every 0.1 s. In one condition the first half of the sound was low-pass filtered and the second half high-pass filtered. In a second condition the opposite order was used. In a third condition no filtering was applied and the frequency spectrum was simply white noise. The results were analyzed using a statistical method, which assigns relative weights to the ten temporal segments. In this way individual weighting curves were obtained for each condition. Listeners tended to emphasize the beginning of the sound in their loudness judgments. When the frequency spectrum changed in the middle of the sound, however, the weighting of the onset of the new spectral content was emphasized as well. This outcome is inconsistent with overall temporal integration, and argues for a cognitive mechanism allocating attention to changes in an event sequence.

  3. Categorical scaling of partial loudness in a condition of masking release.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verhey, Jesko L; Heeren, Wiebke

    2015-08-01

    Categorical loudness scaling was used to measure suprathreshold release from masking. The signal was a 986-Hz sinusoid that was embedded in a bandpass-filtered masking noise. This noise was either unmodulated or was amplitude modulated with a square-wave modulator. The unmodulated noise had either the same level as the modulated noise or had a level that was reduced by the difference in thresholds for the 986-Hz signal obtained with the modulated and unmodulated noise masker presented at the same level (i.e., the masking release). A comparison with loudness matching data of the same set of subjects showed that the data obtained with loudness scaling capture main aspects of the change in suprathreshold perception of the sinusoid when the masker was modulated. The scaling data for the signal masked by the unmodulated noise with the reduced masker level were similar to that for the signal embedded in the modulated noise. This similarity supports the hypothesis that the mechanism eliciting the masking release is effectively reducing the masker level.

  4. The Trails of Superluminal Jet Components in 3C 111

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadler, M.; Ros, E.; Perucho, M.; Kovalev, Y. Y.; Homan, D. C.; Agudo, I.; Kellermann, K. I.; Aller, M. F.; Aller, H. D.; Lister, M. L.; hide

    2007-01-01

    The parsec-scale radio jet of the broad-line radio galaxy 3C 111 has been monitored since 1995 as part of the 2cm Survey and MOJAVE monitoring observations conducted with the VLBA. Here, we present results from 18 epochs of VLBA observations of 3C 111 and from 18 years of radio flux density monitoring observations conducted at the University of Michigan. A major radio flux-density outburst of 3C 111 occurred in 1996 and was followed by a particularly bright plasma ejection associated with a superluminal jet component. This major event allows us to study a variety of processes associated with outbursts of radio-loud AGN in much greater detail than possible in other cases: the primary perturbation gives rise to the formation of a forward and a backward-shock, which both evolve in characteristically different ways and allow us to draw conclusions about the workflow of jet-production events; the expansion, acceleration and recollimation of the ejected jet plasma in an environment with steep pressure and density gradients are revealed; trailing components are formed in the wake of the primary perturbation as a result of Kelvin- Helmholtz instabilities from the interaction of the jet with the external medium. The jet-medium interaction is further scrutinized by the linear-polarization signature of jet components traveling along the jet and passing a region of steep pressure/density gradients.

  5. THE XMM-NEWTON WIDE FIELD SURVEY IN THE COSMOS FIELD: REDSHIFT EVOLUTION OF AGN BIAS AND SUBDOMINANT ROLE OF MERGERS IN TRIGGERING MODERATE-LUMINOSITY AGNs AT REDSHIFTS UP TO 2.2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allevato, V.; Hasinger, G.; Salvato, M.; Finoguenov, A.; Brusa, M.; Bongiorno, A.; Merloni, A.; Cappelluti, N.; Miyaji, T.; Gilli, R.; Zamorani, G.; Comastri, A.; Shankar, F.; James, J. B.; Peacock, J. A.; McCracken, H. J.; Silverman, J.

    2011-01-01

    We present a study of the redshift evolution of the projected correlation function of 593 X-ray selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with I AB 2 XMM- Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS). We introduce a method to estimate the average bias of the AGN sample and the mass of AGN hosting halos, solving the sample variance using the halo model and taking into account the growth of the structure over time. We find evidence of a redshift evolution of the bias factor for the total population of XMM-COSMOS AGNs from b-bar ( z-bar =0.92)=2.30±0.11 to b-bar ( z-bar =1.94)=4.37±0.27 with an average mass of the hosting dark matter (DM) halos log M 0 (h -1 M sun ) ∼ 13.12 ± 0.12 that remains constant at all z 0 (h -1 M sun ) ∼ 13.28 ± 0.07 and log M 0 (h -1 M sun ) ∼ 13.00 ± 0.06 for BL/X-ray unobscured AGNs and NL/X-ray obscured AGNs, respectively. The theoretical models, which assume a quasar phase triggered by major mergers, cannot reproduce the high bias factors and DM halo masses found for X-ray selected BL AGNs with L BOL ∼ 2 x 10 45 erg s -1 . Our work extends up to z ∼ 2.2 the z ∼< 1 statement that, for moderate-luminosity X-ray selected BL AGNs, the contribution from major mergers is outnumbered by other processes, possibly secular ones such as tidal disruptions or disk instabilities.

  6. Understanding AGNs in the Local Universe through Optical Reverberation Mapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pei, Liuyi

    2016-01-01

    I present the results of observational projects aimed at measuring the mass of the black hole at the center of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and understanding the structure and kinematics of the broad-line emitting gas within the black hole's sphere of influence.The first project aims to measure the black hole mass in the Kepler-field AGN KA1858. We obtained simultaneous spectroscopic data from the Lick Observatory 3-m telescope using the Kast Double Spectrograph and photometry data from five ground-based telescopes, and used reverberation mapping (RM) techniques to measure the emission-line light curves' lags relative to continuum variations. We obtained lags for H-beta, H-gamma, H-delta, and He II, and obtained the first black hole mass measurement for this object. Our results will serve as a reference point for future studies on relations between black hole mass and continuum variability characteristics using Kepler AGN light curves.The second project, in collaboration with the AGN STORM team, aims to understand the structure and dynamics of the broad line region (BLR) in NGC 5548 in both UV and optical wavelengths. To supplement 6 months of HST UV observations, we obtained simultaneous optical spectroscopic data from six ground-based observatories. We obtained emission-line lags for the optical H-beta and He II lines as well as velocity-resolved lag measurements for H-beta. We also compared the velocity-resolved lags for H-beta to the UV emission lines C IV and Ly-alpha and found similar lag profiles for all three lines.Finally, I will discuss my contributions to two other collaborations in AGN RM. A key component in RM is monitoring continuum variability, which is often done through ground-based photometry. I will present a pipeline that performs aperture photometry on any number of images of an AGN with WCS coordinates and immediately produces relative light curves. This pipeline enables quick looks of AGN variability in real time and has been used in the

  7. Is there addiction to loud music? Findings in a group of non-professional pop/rock musicians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmuziger, Nicolas; Patscheke, Jochen; Stieglitz, Rolf; Probst, Rudolf

    2012-01-09

    Listening to loud music may be connected to addictive behavior possibly leading to damaging effects on the cochlea. We hypothesized that members of non-professional pop/rock bands with regular exposure to loud music are more likely to show an addictive-like behavior for loud music than matched control subjects. Fifty non-professional musicians and 50 matched control subjects were asked to complete the Northeastern Music Listening Survey (NEMLS) with two basic components. The first comprises an adaptation of the validated Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST) to study the addictive-like behavior towards loud music. The second comprises the criteria outlined by the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Society for the diagnosis of substance dependence. The NEMLS was scored using the same point system as used in the MAST. The DSM-IV criteria for substance dependence were met by nine of the musician group and by one control subject. Seven of these nine musicians also had a positive NEMLS score. Traits of addictive-like behavior to loud music were detected more often in members of nonprofessional pop/rock bands than in control subjects.

  8. Is there addiction to loud music? Findings in a group of non-professional pop/rock musicians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicolas Schmuziger

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Listening to loud music may be connected to addictive behavior possibly leading to damaging effects on the cochlea. We hypothesized that members of non-professional pop/rock bands with regular exposure to loud music are more likely to show an addictive-like behavior for loud music than matched control subjects. Fifty non-professional musicians and 50 matched control subjects were asked to complete the Northeastern Music Listening Survey (NEMLS with two basic components. The first comprises an adaptation of the validated Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST to study the addictive-like behavior towards loud music. The second comprises the criteria outlined by the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV of the American Psychiatric Society for the diagnosis of substance dependence. The NEMLS was scored using the same point system as used in the MAST. The DSM-IV criteria for substance dependence were met by nine of the musician group and by one control subject. Seven of these nine musicians also had a positive NEMLS score. Traits of addictive-like behavior to loud music were detected more often in members of nonprofessional pop/rock bands than in control subjects.

  9. CANDELS: CONSTRAINING THE AGN-MERGER CONNECTION WITH HOST MORPHOLOGIES AT z {approx} 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kocevski, Dale D.; Faber, S. M.; Mozena, Mark; Trump, Jonathan R.; Koo, David C. [University of California Observatories/Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Koekemoer, Anton M.; Somerville, Rachel S.; Lotz, Jennifer M.; Dahlen, Tomas; Donley, Jennifer L. [Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Nandra, Kirpal; Brusa, Marcella; Wuyts, Stijn [Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Rangel, Cyprian; Laird, Elise S. [Astrophysics Group, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Bell, Eric F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Alexander, David M. [Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Bournaud, Frederic [CEA, IRFU, SAp and Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Conselice, Christopher J. [Centre for Astronomy and Particle Theory, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD (United Kingdom); Dekel, Avishai, E-mail: kocevski@ucolick.org [Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); and others

    2012-01-10

    Using Hubble Space Telescope/WFC3 imaging taken as part of the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey, we examine the role that major galaxy mergers play in triggering active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity at z {approx} 2. Our sample consists of 72 moderate-luminosity (L{sub X} {approx} 10{sup 42-44} erg s{sup -1}) AGNs at 1.5 < z < 2.5 that are selected using the 4 Ms Chandra observations in the Chandra Deep Field South, the deepest X-ray observations to date. Employing visual classifications, we have analyzed the rest-frame optical morphologies of the AGN host galaxies and compared them to a mass-matched control sample of 216 non-active galaxies at the same redshift. We find that most of the AGNs reside in disk galaxies (51.4{sup +5.8}{sub -5.9}%), while a smaller percentage are found in spheroids (27.8{sup +5.8}{sub -4.6}%). Roughly 16.7{sup +5.3}{sub -3.5}% of the AGN hosts have highly disturbed morphologies and appear to be involved in a major merger or interaction, while most of the hosts (55.6{sup +5.6}{sub -5.9}%) appear relatively relaxed and undisturbed. These fractions are statistically consistent with the fraction of control galaxies that show similar morphological disturbances. These results suggest that the hosts of moderate-luminosity AGNs are no more likely to be involved in an ongoing merger or interaction relative to non-active galaxies of similar mass at z {approx} 2. The high disk fraction observed among the AGN hosts also appears to be at odds with predictions that merger-driven accretion should be the dominant AGN fueling mode at z {approx} 2, even at moderate X-ray luminosities. Although we cannot rule out that minor mergers are responsible for triggering these systems, the presence of a large population of relatively undisturbed disk-like hosts suggests that the stochastic accretion of gas plays a greater role in fueling AGN activity at z {approx} 2 than previously thought.

  10. Probing the Gas Fueling and Outflows in Nearby AGN with ALMA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Audibert, Anelise [Observatoire de Paris, LERMA, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSL University, Sorbonne University, UPMC, Paris (France); Combes, Françoise [Observatoire de Paris, LERMA, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSL University, Sorbonne University, UPMC, Paris (France); College de France, Paris (France); García-Burillo, Santiago [Observatorio Astronómico Nacional, Observatorio de Madrid, Madrid (Spain); Salomé, Philippe, E-mail: anelise.audibert@obspm.fr [Observatoire de Paris, LERMA, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSL University, Sorbonne University, UPMC, Paris (France)

    2017-12-12

    Feeding and feedback in AGN play a very important role to gain a proper understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. The interaction between activity mechanisms in the nucleus and its influence in the host galaxy are related to the physical processes involved in feedback and the gas fueling of the black hole. The discovery of many massive molecular outflows in the last few years have been promoting the idea that winds may be major actors in sweeping the gas out of galaxies. Also, the widely observed winds from the central regions of AGN are promising candidates to explain the scaling relations (e.g., the black hole-bulge mass relation, BH accretion rate tracking the star formation history) under the AGN feedback scenario. Out goal is to probe these phenomena through the kinematic and morphology of the gas inside the central kpc in nearby AGN. This has recently been possible due to the unprecedented ALMA spatial resolution and sensitivity. We present results on NGC7213 and NGC1808, the latter is part of a new ALMA follow-up of the NuGa project, a previous high-resolution (0.5–1″) CO survey of low luminosity AGN performed with the IRAM PdBI.

  11. Probing the gas fuelling and outflows in nearby AGN with ALMA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Audibert, Anelise; Combes, Françoise; García-Burillo, Santiago; Salomé, Philippe

    2017-12-01

    Feeding and feedback in AGN play a very important role to gain a proper understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. The interaction between activity mechanisms in the nucleus and its influence in the host galaxy are related to the physical processes involved in feedback and the gas fuelling of the black hole. The discovery of many massive molecular outflows in the last few years have been promoting the idea that winds may be major actors in sweeping the gas out of galaxies. Also, the widely observed winds from the central regions of AGN are promising candidates to explain the scaling relations (e.g. the black hole-bulge mass relation, BH accretion rate tracking the star formation history) under the AGN feedback scenario. Out goal is to probe these phenomena through the kinematic and morphology of the gas inside the central kpc in nearby AGN. This has recently been possible due to the unprecedented ALMA spatial resolution and sensitivity. We present results on NGC7213 and NGC1808, the latter is part of a new ALMA follow-up of the NuGa project, a previous high-resolution (0.5-1”) CO survey of low luminosity AGN performed with the IRAM PdBI.

  12. Probing the Gas Fueling and Outflows in Nearby AGN with ALMA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anelise Audibert

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Feeding and feedback in AGN play a very important role to gain a proper understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. The interaction between activity mechanisms in the nucleus and its influence in the host galaxy are related to the physical processes involved in feedback and the gas fueling of the black hole. The discovery of many massive molecular outflows in the last few years have been promoting the idea that winds may be major actors in sweeping the gas out of galaxies. Also, the widely observed winds from the central regions of AGN are promising candidates to explain the scaling relations (e.g., the black hole-bulge mass relation, BH accretion rate tracking the star formation history under the AGN feedback scenario. Out goal is to probe these phenomena through the kinematic and morphology of the gas inside the central kpc in nearby AGN. This has recently been possible due to the unprecedented ALMA spatial resolution and sensitivity. We present results on NGC7213 and NGC1808, the latter is part of a new ALMA follow-up of the NuGa project, a previous high-resolution (0.5–1″ CO survey of low luminosity AGN performed with the IRAM PdBI.

  13. AGN Populations in Large-volume X-Ray Surveys: Photometric Redshifts and Population Types Found in the Stripe 82X Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ananna, Tonima Tasnin; Salvato, Mara; LaMassa, Stephanie; Urry, C. Megan; Cappelluti, Nico; Cardamone, Carolin; Civano, Francesca; Farrah, Duncan; Gilfanov, Marat; Glikman, Eilat; Hamilton, Mark; Kirkpatrick, Allison; Lanzuisi, Giorgio; Marchesi, Stefano; Merloni, Andrea; Nandra, Kirpal; Natarajan, Priyamvada; Richards, Gordon T.; Timlin, John

    2017-11-01

    Multiwavelength surveys covering large sky volumes are necessary to obtain an accurate census of rare objects such as high-luminosity and/or high-redshift active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Stripe 82X is a 31.3 X-ray survey with Chandra and XMM-Newton observations overlapping the legacy Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82 field, which has a rich investment of multiwavelength coverage from the ultraviolet to the radio. The wide-area nature of this survey presents new challenges for photometric redshifts for AGNs compared to previous work on narrow-deep fields because it probes different populations of objects that need to be identified and represented in the library of templates. Here we present an updated X-ray plus multiwavelength matched catalog, including Spitzer counterparts, and estimated photometric redshifts for 5961 (96% of a total of 6181) X-ray sources that have a normalized median absolute deviation, σnmad=0.06, and an outlier fraction, η = 13.7%. The populations found in this survey and the template libraries used for photometric redshifts provide important guiding principles for upcoming large-area surveys such as eROSITA and 3XMM (in X-ray) and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (optical).

  14. Revisiting the `forbidden' region: AGN radiative feedback with radiation trapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishibashi, W.; Fabian, A. C.; Ricci, C.; Celotti, A.

    2018-06-01

    Active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback, driven by radiation pressure on dust, is an important mechanism for efficiently coupling the accreting black hole to the surrounding environment. Recent observations confirm that X-ray selected AGN samples respect the effective Eddington limit for dusty gas in the plane defined by the observed column density versus the Eddington ratio, the so-called NH - λ plane. A `forbidden' region occurs in this plane, where obscuring clouds cannot be long-lived, due to the action of radiation pressure on dust. Here we compute the effective Eddington limit by explicitly taking into account the trapping of reprocessed radiation (which has been neglected in previous works), and investigate its impact on the NH - λ plane. We show that the inclusion of radiation trapping leads to an enhanced forbidden region, such that even Compton-thick material can potentially be disrupted by sub-Eddington luminosities. We compare our model results to the most complete sample of local AGNs with measured X-ray properties, and find good agreement. Considering the anisotropic emission from the accretion disc, we also expect the development of dusty outflows along the polar axis, which may naturally account for the polar dust emission recently detected in several AGNs from mid-infrared observations. Radiative feedback thus appears to be the key mechanism regulating the obscuration properties of AGNs, and we discuss its physical implications in the context of co-evolution scenarios.

  15. Flickering AGN can explain the strong circumgalactic O VI observed by COS-Halos

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oppenheimer, Benjamin D.; Segers, Marijke; Schaye, Joop; Richings, Alexander J.; Crain, Robert A.

    2018-03-01

    Proximity zone fossils (PZFs) are ionization signatures around recently active galactic nuclei (AGNs) where metal species in the circumgalactic medium remain overionized after the AGNs have shut off due to their long recombination time scales. We explore cosmological zoom hydrodynamic simulations, using the EAGLE (Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environments) model paired with a non-equilibrium ionization and cooling module including time-variable AGN radiation to model PZFs around star-forming disc galaxies in the z ˜ 0.2 Universe. Previous simulations typically underestimated the O VI content of galactic haloes, but we show that plausible PZF models increase O VI column densities by 2 - 3 × to achieve the levels observed around COS-Halos star-forming galaxies out to 150 kpc. Models with AGN bolometric luminosities ≳ 1043.6erg s- 1, duty cycle fractions ≲ 10 per cent, and AGN lifetimes ≲ 106 yr are the most promising, because their supermassive black holes grow at the cosmologically expected rate and they mostly appear as inactive AGN, consistent with COS-Halos. The central requirement is that the typical star-forming galaxy hosted an active AGN within a time-scale comparable to the recombination time of a high metal ion, which for circumgalactic O VI is ≈107 yr. H I, by contrast, returns to equilibrium much more rapidly due to its low neutral fraction and does not show a significant PZF effect. O VI absorption features originating from PZFs appear narrow, indicating photoionization, and are often well aligned with lower metal ion species. PZFs are highly likely to affect the physical interpretation of circumgalactic high ionization metal lines if, as expected, normal galaxies host flickering AGN.

  16. Discovery of large-scale diffuse radio emission in low-mass galaxy cluster Abell 1931

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brüggen, M.; Rafferty, D.; Bonafede, A.; van Weeren, R. J.; Shimwell, T.; Intema, H.; Röttgering, H.; Brunetti, G.; Di Gennaro, G.; Savini, F.; Wilber, A.; O'Sullivan, S.; Ensslin, T. A.; De Gasperin, F.; Hoeft, M.

    2018-04-01

    Extended, steep-spectrum radio synchrotron sources are pre-dominantly found in massive galaxy clusters as opposed to groups. LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey images have revealed a diffuse, ultra-steep spectrum radio source in the low-mass cluster Abell 1931. The source has a fairly irregular morphology with a largest linear size of about 550 kpc. The source is only seen in LOFAR observations at 143 MHz and GMRT observations at 325 MHz. The spectral index of the total source between 143 MHz and 325 MHz is α _{143}^{325} = -2.86 ± 0.36. The source remains invisible in Very Large Array (1-2 GHz) observations as expected given the spectral index. Chandra X-ray observations of the cluster revealed a bolometric luminosity of LX = (1.65 ± 0.39) × 1043 erg s-1 and a temperature of 2.92_{-0.87}^{+1.89} keV which implies a mass of around ˜1014M⊙. We conclude that the source is a remnant radio galaxy that has shut off around 200 Myr ago. The brightest cluster galaxy, a radio-loud elliptical galaxy, could be the source for this extinct source. Unlike remnant sources studied in the literature, our source has a steep spectrum at low radio frequencies. Studying such remnant radio galaxies at low radio frequencies is important for understanding the scarcity of such sources and their role in feedback processes.

  17. Superwind Outflows in Seyfert Galaxies? : Large-Scale Radio Maps of an Edge-On Sample

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colbert, E.; Gallimore, J.; Baum, S.; O'Dea, C.

    1995-03-01

    Large-scale galactic winds (superwinds) are commonly found flowing out of the nuclear region of ultraluminous infrared and powerful starburst galaxies. Stellar winds and supernovae from the nuclear starburst provide the energy to drive these superwinds. The outflowing gas escapes along the rotation axis, sweeping up and shock-heating clouds in the halo, which produces optical line emission, radio synchrotron emission, and X-rays. These features can most easily be studied in edge-on systems, so that the wind emission is not confused by that from the disk. We have begun a systematic search for superwind outflows in Seyfert galaxies. In an earlier optical emission-line survey, we found extended minor axis emission and/or double-peaked emission line profiles in >~30% of the sample objects. We present here large-scale (6cm VLA C-config) radio maps of 11 edge-on Seyfert galaxies, selected (without bias) from a distance-limited sample of 23 edge-on Seyferts. These data have been used to estimate the frequency of occurrence of superwinds. Preliminary results indicate that four (36%) of the 11 objects observed and six (26%) of the 23 objects in the distance-limited sample have extended radio emission oriented perpendicular to the galaxy disk. This emission may be produced by a galactic wind blowing out of the disk. Two (NGC 2992 and NGC 5506) of the nine objects for which we have both radio and optical data show good evidence for a galactic wind in both datasets. We suggest that galactic winds occur in >~30% of all Seyferts. A goal of this work is to find a diagnostic that can be used to distinguish between large-scale outflows that are driven by starbursts and those that are driven by an AGN. The presence of starburst-driven superwinds in Seyferts, if established, would have important implications for the connection between starburst galaxies and AGN.

  18. Mid-IR Properties of an Unbiased AGN Sample of the Local Universe. 1; Emission-Line Diagnostics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, K. A.; Melendez, M.; Muhotzky, R. F.; Kraemer, S.; Engle, K.; Malumuth. E.; Tueller, J.; Markwardt, C.; Berghea, C. T.; Dudik, R. P.; hide

    2010-01-01

    \\Ve compare mid-IR emission-lines properties, from high-resolution Spitzer IRS spectra of a statistically-complete hard X-ray (14-195 keV) selected sample of nearby (z < 0.05) AGN detected by the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) aboard Swift. The luminosity distribution for the mid-infrared emission-lines, [O IV] 25.89 microns, [Ne II] 12.81 microns, [Ne III] 15.56 microns and [Ne V] 14.32 microns, and hard X-ray continuum show no differences between Seyfert 1 and Seyfert 2 populations, although six newly discovered BAT AGNs are shown to be under-luminous in [O IV], most likely the result of dust extinction in the host galaxy. The overall tightness of the mid-infrared correlations and BAT luminosities suggests that the emission lines primarily arise in gas ionized by the AGN. We also compared the mid-IR emission-lines in the BAT AGNs with those from published studies of star-forming galaxies and LINERs. We found that the BAT AGN fall into a distinctive region when comparing the [Ne III]/[Ne II] and the [O IV]/[Ne III] quantities. From this we found that sources that have been previously classified in the mid-infrared/optical as AGN have smaller emission line ratios than those found for the BAT AGNs, suggesting that, in our X-ray selected sample, the AGN represents the main contribution to the observed line emission. Overall, we present a different set of emission line diagnostics to distinguish between AGN and star forming galaxies that can be used as a tool to find new AGN.

  19. SWIFT BAT Survey of AGN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tueller, J.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Barthelmy, S.; Cannizzo, J. K.; Gehrels, N.; Markwardt, C. B.; Skinner, G. K.; Winter, L. M.

    2008-01-01

    We present the results1 of the analysis of the first 9 months of data of the Swift BAT survey of AGN in the 14-195 keV band. Using archival X-ray data or follow-up Swift XRT observations, we have identified 129 (103 AGN) of 130 objects detected at [b] > 15deg and with significance > 4.8-delta. One source remains unidentified. These same X-ray data have allowed measurement of the X-ray properties of the objects. We fit a power law to the logN - log S distribution, and find the slope to be 1.42+/-0.14. Characterizing the differential luminosity function data as a broken power law, we find a break luminosity logL*(ergs/s)= 43.85+/-0.26. We obtain a mean photon index 1.98 in the 14-195 keV band, with an rms spread of 0.27. Integration of our luminosity function gives a local volume density of AGN above 10(exp 41) erg/s of 2.4x10(exp -3) Mpc(sup -3), which is about 10% of the total luminous local galaxy density above M* = -19.75. We have obtained X-ray spectra from the literature and from Swift XRT follow-up observations. These show that the distribution of log nH is essentially flat from nH = 10(exp 20)/sq cm to 10(exp 24)/sq cm, with 50% of the objects having column densities of less than 10(exp 22)/sq cm. BAT Seyfert galaxies have a median redshift of 0.03, a maximum log luminosity of 45.1, and approximately half have log nH > 22.

  20. A Catalog of Active Galactic Nuclei from the First 1.5 Gyr of the Universe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krisztina Perger

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Active galactic nuclei (AGN are prominent astrophysical objects that can be observed throughout the whole Universe. To understand the underlying physical processes and the different appearance of AGN types, extensive samples are needed. Nowadays, various AGN catalogs are available at different wavebands. However, at the highest redshifts data are still relatively sparse. These data are required for examining AGN properties in the early Universe. This way we can compare the earliest AGN with those seen at lower redshifts, and can study their cosmological evolution. Additionally, because of their high luminosity, AGN may also be used as probes to test cosmological models. With the aim of constructing a complete sample of all known AGN at z ≥ 4, we are currently compiling a photometric catalog from literature sources. We cross-match catalogs particularly at optical and radio wavebands, to build up a sample for detailed high-resolution radio interferometric studies. The continuously updated list now contains nearly 2,600 objects with known spectroscopic redshifts, optical magnitudes, and auxiliary information about observations at other wavebands. About 170 of them are known radio sources for which we collect existing radio interferometric data from the literature.